Though it can be hard to narrow down, I think we all have a dessert or two that shouts perfection to our palates. I confess that my tastes are really quite simple; my two favorite desserts are still chocolate chip cookies and apple crisp. Don’t bother with the time consuming crust for me, simple baked apples with a sugar-crumble topping is all I need for a true comfort sweet.

My current favorite recipe is still this Crumbly Maple Apple Crisp as I like to call it (since it is what I would call a cross between a crisp and a crumble by definition). I made it for my Uncle’s birthday (he too prefers to forgo the pie crust) and everyone raved, even though I snuck in whole wheat flour, unpeeled fiber-rich apples, and oats on them! But, when grandma later requested a “traditional” apple crisp … well, I can never disappoint my sweets loving grandma. Grandma’s Easy Apple Crisp is made with the simple everyday ingredients, and while apples seem to still be somewhat in season, you can even bump it up to organic for a fair price. I do use a bit of Earth Balance's new soy-free margarine to keep the whole dessert dairy-free and soy-free, but if you can't locate it, any dairy-free margarine will work.