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?

Thanksgiving desserts

We are having a small crowd (5 adults, 3 kids) for thanksgiving. I made a pumpkin cheesecake 

it is in the freezer. I will make a chocolate desert because I love chocolate deserts, thinking molten chocolate cakes with Irish cream.

Molly asked about pie. Now I like pie but could live w/o it but is does seem like for thanksgiving you need pie, Molly requested apple, Brad's favorite is blueberry so I'm thinking of making mini apple pies -- and maybe doing 1/2 apple, 1/2 blueberry. I figure I can freeze the leftovers. Anyone ever try mini pies? I worry a little about them coming out of the muffin tins.

Today is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day. I’m so glad all the fattening desserts have national holidays. What else would I do with my time? How else would I keep my waistline growing?

Besides the flavor and the creaminess, the good news is, it’s a vegetable!

Don’t cheat like I did and eat the cake an hour or two after it comes out of the oven, it’s not worth it. Wait the full six hours, or better, overnight, you’ll be glad you did. Also, my cheesecakes almost always crack when they cool, even when I leave them to cool slowly in the oven. It’s not the end of the world, and that’s how your friends will know that it really is homemade.

Pumpkin cheesecake

1 c ginger snaps, crushed into crumbs
2 T butter, melted
2 T sugar
¼ t nutmeg, freshly grated
8 ozs cream cheese, softened
1 c light brown sugar
16 ozs ricotta cheese
1 15-oz can canned pumpkin
¼ t nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°. In 9" round springform pan, with fork, stir ginger snap crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and nutmeg until moistened. With hand, press mixture onto bottom of pan. Tightly wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty foil to prevent leakage when baking in water bath later.

Prepare pumpkin filling: In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth; slowly beat in sugar until blended, about 1 minute, scraping bowl often with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, beat in ricotta, pumpkin, nutmeg, and vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust and place in large roasting pan. Place pan on oven rack. Carefully pour enough boiling water into pan to come 1 inch up side of springform pan. Bake cheesecake 1½ hours, or until center barely jiggles.

Remove cheesecake from water bath to wire rack; discard foil. With small knife, loosen cheesecake from side of pan to help prevent cracking during cooling. Cool cheesecake completely. Cover and refrigerate cheesecake at least 6 hours or overnight, until well chilled. Remove side of pan to serve. Garnish with crystallized ginger.