This very easy recipe, from the collection of the late Hawai'i School Food Services supervisor Chieko Okamoto, is an example of a crisp and because cranberries are associated with the holiday season, is a timely dessert. Although the recipe calls for canned cranberry sauce, you could use a fresh, homemade sauce as well.

Like most crisps, this one can be served hot or at room temperature. But we think it's best hot, with ice cream. If you're having company for dinner, assemble the crisp in advance, then pop it in the oven just before you sit down for dinner. It will be hot and ready at dessert time.

Cranberry Crunch

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups brown sugar, loosely packed
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, sliced into 16 pieces
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 2 (16-ounce) cans of cranberry sauce (chunky, whole-berry kind)

In large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter a couple of slices at a time, using pastry cutter. (Or place dry ingredients in food processor and scatter butter over top, pulsing at 1-second intervals until mixture resembles coarse meal.) Stir in rolled oats and walnuts (if using).

Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan. Spread half the mixture in the bottom of the pan. Spread cranberry sauce evenly over crumbs. Cover with remaining crumbs. Bake in 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.

Makes 12 generous servings.

• Per serving (without walnuts): 510 calories, 17 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 280 mg sodium, 90 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 65 g sugar, 5 g protein. I Per serving with walnuts: 580 calories, 23 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 280 mg sodium, 92 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 65 g sugar, 6 g protein.

Apple variation: Instead of cranberries, use 4 cups thinly sliced tart apples, tossed with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, a half-cup of granulated sugar or Splenda and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Cobblers are made by topping hot fruit with a sweet shortcake or pie dough. This recipe, based on one from the files of the Hawai'i School Food Services office, uses shortcake and can be made with canned cling peach slices or cherries. Be sure to reserve the syrup, as it's used in the recipe. The original recipe used by the frugal cafeteria cooks called for powdered milk, but we've enriched this by using cream. You also can use whole milk, half-and-half or nonfat half-and-half. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Fruit Cobbler

• 4 (15 1/4-ounce) cans sliced cling peaches in syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash of salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into slices
• 3/4 cup chilled cream (or milk)
• Granulated or raw sugar (for garnish)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place a strainer or colander over a bowl, open the four cans peaches and place in strainer so juice drains into the bowl. Spread drained peaches in 8-by-8-inch baking dish and set aside.

Measure out 1 1/4 cups juice; reserve remaining juice for other uses. Place 1 1/4 cups juice in saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in sugar, cinnamon and salt and allow to heat until simmering. Make a slurry of cornstarch and water; whisk into juice mixture and bring to a boil. Pour thickened juice over peaches and place peaches in heated oven.

In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Whisk to combine well. Cut in butter with pastry cutter. With a fork, stir in cream or milk; mixture should form a soft ball. (You also can mix in food processor: Add dry ingredients and pulse. Scatter cut butter on top and pulse at 1-second intervals until mixture resembles coarse meal. While processing, slowly pour cream through feed tube just until mixture forms soft, sticky ball.)

Turn dough out on very lightly floured board and knead 3 or 4 times. Lightly roll to thick 8-by-8-inch square.

Remove fruit from oven and carefully place dough over hot fruit. Sprinkle with a little raw or granulated sugar. Bake 30-35 minutes, until topping is golden brown.

Makes 6 servings.

• Per serving: 520 calories, 19 g total fat, 12 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 600 mg sodium, 88 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 58 g sugar, 5 g protein.

Cherry variation: Use 4 cans cherries instead of peaches. (Ideally, you would use sour pie cherries but these have become difficult to find; sweet cherries work as well.)

The following version of apple brown betty offers the option of creating a more contemporary version by using a bit of sherry or brandy to moisten the dish, and enlivening the flavor with fresh or ground ginger. The original recipe called for Fuji apples but other cooking varieties can be substituted.

Apple Brown Betty

• 4 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs or diced day-old bread
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 4 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons apple juice (or dry sherry)
• Whipped cream or hard sauce (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 2-quart casserole or baking dish. Stir together bread crumbs and butter; set aside.

Combine apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger (if using), and cinnamon, mixing until well blended. To assemble brown betty, spread 1 cup of buttered bread crumbs in bottom of casserole; top with one-third of apple mixture. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon apple juice or sherry over apple layer.

Spread another cup bread crumbs and top with half of remaining apples and another tablespoon juice or sherry. Make third layer of 1 cup of bread crumbs and top with remaining apples and juice or sherry. Spread remaining bread crumbs on top of apples.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes; uncover and bake 30 minutes longer. Cool until warm and serve with whipped cream or hard sauce. Serves 6.