Welcome to Sweet Talk, your weekly escape into the world of desserts, where I believe that a sweet treat to help you through the week makes everything better — and calories don’t count if you’re reading about them.

Each week, I will feature a different dessert recipe based on the season or the best Instagram Reel I watched — I’m the boss around here! Whether you’re a seasoned baker with the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe, or someone who thinks “creaming butter” sounds vaguely inappropriate, Sweet Talk is your safe space.

We’ll walk through each recipe together, sharing tips, tricks and the occasional cautionary tale of what happens when you forget to set the timer — spoiler, it’s nothing good.

Apple Crumble

With Halloween candy on clearance, our circadian rhythms thrown off by daylight savings and Mother Nature having her own identity crisis, it is safe to say we are in the thick of the fall season. Fall brings an ample amount of seasonal produce, outdoor activities and of course, Instagram-ready photo opportunities.

Arguably the most popular fall outdoor activity is apple picking — orange-hued photos, cosplaying an apple farmer and endless creative sweet treats. Apple cider donuts, apple upside down cake and apple crumble, just to name a few.

I figured as college students we don’t have endless hours to spend in the kitchen, unless you are avoiding studying for an exam, which is why I thought we could start this column off simple with an easy Apple Crumble. This recipe comes from my favorite childhood chef featured on Food Network, Ree Drummond — aka The Pioneer Woman.

The process

A note before we begin — I did half this recipe when I made it, which is shown in the pictures. The ingredients listed out are the standard recipe measurements.

Preheat your oven to 350℉ and butter a 13 x 9 inch — or whatever you have — baking dish.

To make the apple filling, toss together —

• 8 medium apples, peeled and sliced (Honeycrisp and Granny Smith are the only correct options here)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Gently toss the apples and lemon juice together, then place them into your buttered baking dish, aligning them in an even layer.

In a separate bowl, make the sugar mixture —

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Stir together the sugar mixture, then pour it over the apples, tossing to coat the apples.

Finally, in a second bowl make the crumble topping —

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 8 tbsp of melted butter

Combine all of the dry ingredients, followed by slowly pouring in the melted butter. Then, sprinkle the topping over the apple mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes to one hour, or until your apartment is intoxicated by the smell of sugary apples and the topping is golden brown.

Finally, the most important step is serving this warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It may be in your best interest to allow the apple crumble to cool down before digging in, as I have fallen victim to my impatience and burned the roof of my mouth on this.