The oldest recipes are the best recipes.

I recently made an apple pie with my mom using her favorite Betty Crocker recipe. Her cookbook is more than 50 years old and looks it. She’s written notes, flagged stuff and lovingly used it for every one of the years since. In making the pie with her, I not only learned a lot about baking but also about America’s culture back then. While I’m not an overly nostalgic, 1950s romanticizing person, I must say some of Betty Crocker’s lifestyle advice is solid.

Here, the top ten tips for making a classically Americana apple pie.

Top Ten Tips To Make Betty’s Apple Pie

Tip #1:

Start with a 50-year-old Betty Crocker cookbook.

Tip #2:

Stay focused. You want to make pie, remember?

Tip #3:

Get inspired by Betty’s pie illustrations.

Tip #4:

Take a trip back in time. When was the last time you’ve seen the words “gaily illustrating”?

Be interested – and you’ll always be interesting!

Tip #5:

Don’t forget to refresh your spirits. Starting every morning before breakfast with combing your hair, applying your makeup and a dash of cologne does wonders for the mood according to Betty. And also, do not forget to have a hobby.

Tip #6:

Use the dog-eared, mom-marked-up 50-year-old Betty Crocker recipe! Or use my mom’s marked-up one.

Bonus Tip: Use Gravenstein apples. Both sweet and tart, they are THE best for pies. Plus, they are endangered of becoming extinct so if you can find them, you should try them.

Tip #7:

Use a vintage bowl.

Tip #8:

Drink in the cinnamon.

Tip #9:

Bake ’til juice runs out and pie becomes drool-worthy.

Tip #10:

No matter how hard it may seem, make sure to share with your mom or co-baker.