Last fall while I picked and prodded at the darling apple of my farmer’s market, the Honey Crisp, my favorite apple vendor wordlessly handed me a beautiful rosy golden apple and said “Try that.” It was 7:15 a.m. on a Saturday morning, much too early to be biting into anything that makes your head explode in crispy crunchy sounds (except for Cap’N Crunch, which is a bit of an empty calorie religion, in that I feast on it only during the holy days). Plus, I’m not a fan of the Golden Delicious. It’s too mealy, too boring-y. I’m a Granny Smith and a Ginger Crisp girl, with dalliances into Royal Galas, although those have been very disappointingly soft and bland now that they’re in every supermarket bin.

He pointed at the sign, “New gourmet eating apple, but you can cook with them too.” Holy crap! Spectacularly delicious and no more confusion about what could or could not be turned into a pie? That didn’t seem possible. And yet, it was. Friends, readers, ladies, gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Golden Supreme. A cousin of the Golden Delicious, it has none of the detriments of that generic variety and all of the delight.

And supreme it is. Supremely hard to find, anyway.  Last season, I religiously went back to that particular grower and bought a bag of apples a week, taking two with me every morning. And then, sadly, November came and there were no more farmer’s markets and the Golden Supreme? Only a memory.

Anyway, it’s official. I rechristen them Crack Apple. And now? They are back. Golden Supremes have been lighting up my morning snack and turning my afternoon sugar slump into a decadent, crunchy, slurpy vacation at my desk. They may make a delicious batch of applesauce, but I will never know because they are just too perfect, too fucking delicious, to risk them to heat and potential disappointment.

Get one for yourself, if you’re lucky enough to spot them. And if you try to bake with them, let me know how it turns out. —Weetabix