Happy Friday, folks! Around here, we like to finish off our week like we finish off a great meal - with dessert! This will also be the final post (well, for now) about recipes from the . Because I know how much you all adore dessert as well, I'm sharing the recipes today! So as not to confuse you and me both, I've colored my notes in green throughout the recipes.

Autumn Dessert: Double Pear Crisp

Dried pears, cooked in pear juice, jumbled up with fresh pears-- wait, isn't that triple pear? The whole sticky pear-y concoction is topped with a not-too-sweet oat and brown sugar mixture and baked until the pears are all soft and tender. This is a great light dessert, topped with a bit of Soy Whip and (in my opinion) necessary chocolate chips. However, the leftovers also make a respectably nutritious addition to your breakfast routine!

Double Pear Crisp
Yield: 6-8 servings (more like 10!)

6 oz dried pears
1 cup pear juice (apricot or white grape are nice substitutes as well)
4-5 medium pears, chopped (about 4 cups) (I used 3 Bosc pears and 2 Asian pears)
1/4 lb (1 stick) butter (Moosewood calls for butter. I used Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks.)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar or 1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cut out and discard any stems and hard cores from the dried pears. Chop the dried pears into 1/2-inch pieces. In a small saucepan, bring to a boil the dried pear pieces and the pear juice. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pears are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, core the fresh pears and chop into bite-sized pieces. Spread the chopped pears in an unoiled 2-quart baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter (substitute). Add the brown sugar or maple syrup, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to evenly coat the oats and set aside. When the dried pears are tender, pour them and their cooking liquid over the fresh pears in the baking dish. Spoon the oat mixture evenly over the top and bake, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes or until the topping is browned and crisp.

Serve warm or cool, plain or topped with ice cream or fresh whipped cream (non-dairy substitutes, of course, will work fine).

The verdict? A really decent pear crisp, and LOTS of it. I'm not sure that I see the benefit of adding the dried pears, and if I used this recipe again, I would not add the dried pear cooking liquid to the baking dish. My fresh pears created quite a bit of liquid on their own and I do prefer a "less wet" crisp. Also, it's important to note that the leftovers are REALLY good with a few vegan chocolate chips sprinkled on top before reheating.

Winter Dessert: Sweet Spiced Nuts

Walnuts, pecans and almonds are coated in a spicy sugar syrup and baked until toasty. These are a great snack-y dessert on their own, but also wonderful atop salads and even soups. Sealed into small glass jars, these nuts could become a classy holiday gift for coworkers or that ever-present holiday gift exchange.

Sweet Spiced Nuts
Yield: 3 cups

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
3 cups shelled nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews) I used about 1 cup each almonds, pecans and walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously oil a baking sheet. I knew this was going to be a sticky mess, so I lined a baking sheet with foil and then oiled the foil.

In a saucepan on medium high heat, stir together the sugar, water, salt and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and stir constantly for a minute until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the nuts and mix well to evenly coat them with the syrup. This may take a while. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the coated nuts to the prepared baking sheet and spread them out.

Bake until browned, 10-15 minutes, stirring once after 5 or 6 minutes. After you've taken them out of the oven, stir again to break apart any clusters. Allow the nuts to cool before serving.

The verdict? Yum! Think chai meets crunch, and you're pretty much there. These nuts are tasty on their own, but would make beautiful additions to winter salads, atop frosty desserts, or even on pizza. I added two pinches of cayenne and still wished for a spicier result, so I'll be a little more aggressive on the next batch. The sugary syrup really tempers the heat here, so it's necessary!