What could be more classically festive than apple pie? Simple, homey and ultra delicious, apple pie is a family favorite, a dessert fancied by all family members — from the blithe toddler to the merry great grandparents, everyone will be angling for a slice of this luscious Dutch apple pie.

These lovely confections — which happen to be my father’s favorite Christmas cookie — go by many names: thumbprint cookies, Swedish tea cakes, and bird’s nest cookies, to name a few. But whatever moniker you give them, you will surely call them delicious.

Okay, so I had to use up the last of a seemingly endless supply of pumpkin puree, created from one modest “pie” pumpkin, one soft pear, and half of very ripe banana. Yet another case of necessity giving rise to invention; and muffins seemed like just the ticket to fill the order: portable, moist, healthy and flavor-packed.

Crisps are pretty easy, as desserts go, but blueberry crisp takes simplicity to a new level. With no peeling, coring or slicing required, this cozy and irresistibly delicious dessert is a cinch to make any time of year (thanks to frozen blueberries). In fact, you could whip up this dessert half-way through dinner and serve it steaming hot from the oven, just in time for guests to dig into it for last course.

Kick your sugar high up a notch with a sophisticated spin on the traditional candy apple; except set aside the apples for another dessert and indulge on the last of the season’s  fresh strawberries… add a dash of balsamic. Yes, that’s right: balsamic vinegar.