By CRAIG HAUPERT | Niles Daily Star Contributor

A Niles woman’s twist on a classic recipe has her family back in the winner’s circle at the Four Flags Area Apple Festival.

Haley Wilson, 24, finished first in the festival’s annual apple pie baking contest Saturday in Niles.

A panel of judges, including many Leader Publications staff members, gave Wilson’s “grandma’s apple pie” the highest score of all entries in the pie category.

Lori Carberry, of Niles, took first place in the cake category, and Charlton McCully, of Niles, earned the top spot in the pastries category.

Wilson, a 2011 Niles High School graduate, said her recipe is based on the one her grandma used to win multiple apple pie titles at past festivals.

“I wanted to continue the tradition,” said Wilson, who runs a military business called Patriotic Bows. “I changed the recipe up a little bit. I looked online and learned about reduction — using the sugar from the apples and putting it on the stove and using that before you actually bake it.”

Wilson said she believes her pie stood out because of its appearance. A portion of the crust was shaped into an apple.

“I took about an hour on the crust,” she said. “I just want to thank my grandma for helping me out.”

Like Wilson, Carberry said participating in the Apple Festival baking contest is a family tradition. This is the second year in a row that Carberry has won the cake category.

Carberry also said she has finished in first place in other categories in the past. Her “apple caramel mousse cake” had multiple layers.

“I just tried this one out last weekend,” she said. “I searched apple caramel cakes and found it online. It is delicious.”

McCully, the winner of the pastries category, said this was his first time entering the contest.

His “apple blossom” was a combination of several tasty ideas.

“I created my dish out of four different other ones,” he said. “I like to Frankenstein my recipes. I do a lot of meticulous baking.”

The winners received a cash prices.