Fruity desserts, anyone? I’m typically an “if-it's-not-chocolate-don’t-waste-my-time-or-calories” dessert eater. But we’re trying to get more fruits into our diet, and I figured fruity desserts might be a good way to do that.

(I might also be less tempted to eat dessert.)

I do a great apple pie and a great apple crisp that my boys love (recipes below), I’ve even done a rustic apple tart, yum! and artsy. But even apples get a little old after a while.

My pumpkin cheesecake is to-die-for, but not exactly helping the waistline.

I often add dried cranberries to my chocolate chip cookies by substituting 2 cups of chocolate chips and 1 cup of dried cranberries in my Halloween Candy Cookie recipe, again not really waistline-friendly. Ditto my Chocolate, Fruit, and Nut Clusters.

Peach Melba in a Pail was a great summertime dessert, I may have to revisit that one with low-fat frozen yogurt, fat-free Cool Whip^®, and 100-calorie Oreo^® Thin Crisps. Regina's Polka Dot Ice Cream Pie with fat-free frozen yogurt and fat-free sorbet is great for summer too.

Will’s Favorite Apple Crisp
serves 8

6 large apples, peeled and sliced
1¼ c sugar, divided use
1 c flour, plus 2 T
1 t baking powder
½ t salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick-cooking
1 egg
8 T butter, melted
vanilla ice cream, optional

Preheat oven to 375°. Place 1 c flour, ¾ c sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add oats, and use your hands to toss and squeeze mixture until large, moist clumps form. Transfer to freezer to chill while you prepare apples.
Combine ½ c sugar and 2 T flour in bowl. Add apple slices and toss to coat. Place coated apples in deep baking dish.
Crack egg into another bowl. Beat. Pour egg into oat mixture and stir with fork until crumb-like. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit. Spoon melted butter evenly over topping, covering all crumbs. Set dish on baking sheet on middle rack of oven and bake for 40 minutes until topping is brown and apples are tender. Top with ice cream and serve while warm. Can also be baked in individual dishes. Works great with pears too.

Evan’s Favorite Apple Pie

6 to 8 apples, such as Granny Smith, Cortland, Rome, or a local variety of tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
juice of half a lemon
¾ c sugar
1 t cinnamon
¼ t nutmeg
2 T all-purpose flour
double piecrust*
2 T butter, cut into chunks
milk, for glaze
vanilla ice cream, optional
cheddar cheese, optional

Heat the oven to 425°. Place the apples (about 6 cups) in a large mixing bowl. Pour the lemon juice over the apples and add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Toss well. Spoon the spiced apples into the piecrust-lined pie plate and dot with the butter. Place rolled-out dough loosely on top of the apple mixture. With a fork or mini cookie cutter, make a decorative pattern around the outside of the pie plate. You can also cut pie dough ornaments from extra crust to place on top of the pie, and cut slits in the dough to allow the steam to escape. Brush the top with milk for a glaze.

Place the pie in the preheated oven (lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack below to catch any juices). Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and you can see the juices bubbling. If the crust begins to brown before the pie is fully baked, cover it with foil. Let pie cool slightly, then slice it into wedges. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a slice of cheddar cheese.

What are your favorite fruity desserts?

File under: You gotta try this! It's the simplest, nicest, chocolate treat ever!

Now, if you ask my kids what my favorite candy is, they'll tell y0u it's Junior Mints or maybe Mounds or Almond Joy. And I do love those, don’ get me wrong. But my favorite candy is Chunky. I’m just generally unwilling to pay $1 for a 1½" square of chocolate with raisins and nuts. Enter: Chocolate, Fruit, and Nut Clusters that arrived in my e-mailbox this week, as if from Santa, but really from Health.com Healthy Holiday Postcard ... Healthy Holiday?! This just got better! The sidebar on the recipe says it’s healthy because dark chocolate offers stress-busting (really?! no wonder I like it so much!) antioxidants, while cranberries may help fend off winter colds and fight stomach bugs.

The other thing I love about it is it’s a half-cup of everything. That, I can remember when I’m walking through the store with no idea where I left my shopping list (usually on the passenger seat of the car).

I tried it as written, but I’d like a little more dark chocolate and a little less sweet, so I might substitute darker bittersweet or more semisweet chocolate for the milk chocolate next time.

Chocolate, Fruit, and Nut Clusters

½ c (3 oz) semisweet chocolate chips or chopped baking bar, such as Ghirardelli
½ c (3 oz) milk chocolate chips or chopped milk chocolate bar
½ c dried cranberries
½ c coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Place the semisweet chocolate and milk chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water; make sure the water is not actually touching the inner pan. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Stir in the cranberries and pecans. Immediately drop by level teaspoonfuls onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Clusters will keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days.