Apple season is one of my favorite times of the year. I’m not a huge fan of dessert, but apple pie is a weakness. There’s just so much to love about a flaky pastry filled with tender apples. Even the baking process is delicious as the whole house fills with the comforting scent of apples, cinnamon and butter.

There’s a reason it’s such a popular candle scent. In fact, McIntosh apple is the number two most popular scent at Yankee Candle. Autumn leaves, autumn wreath, and spiced pumpkin all make the top 20 as well, which just goes to show this is one of the most nostalgic times of the year for scent.

Everyone has their own favorite apple for baking. For many of us the type of apple has a lot to do with where you grew up or what apple your mother or grandmother used. A dear friend told me her grandmother always used Granny Smith apples for the tartness and the way they hold their shape when baked. I’ve never used that variety, probably because I don’t remember ever seeing or hearing of Granny Smith apples when I was growing up.

In rural New York state, we focused on McIntosh, Cortland and Northern Spy apples. My grandfather grew both Cortland and Northern Spy apples in his one-acre backyard. I remember standing under branches overloaded with dark red fruit streaked with green and peering up in anticipation of good things to come. Both Northern Spy and Cortland apples are on the tart side, which makes them great for sweet desserts.

Years ago, I found some Northern Spy apples for sale at Cape Abilities in Dennis, but they are not an apple that is commonly found on the Cape. Cortland apples are much easier to find. A Cortland apple was derived from the McIntosh variety in 1898 in New York so it truly is a native where I grew up.

In the past few years, Honeycrisp has emerged as my favorite apple. It’s tart and shatteringly crisp, which makes it perfect for snacking. Paired with some cheddar cheese and crackers, it’s one of my favorite treats. Honeycrisp apples are also fabulous for baking. Their texture holds up in the oven quite well.

But as much as I love the Honeycrisps, for pure nostalgia, I turn to Cortland apples.

I’m constantly playing with different versions of apple pie. Over the years, I’ve tried at least a dozen different pie crust recipes. I’ve made apple slab pies, apple tarts and apple turnovers. When we need an easy but popular dessert for a crowd, apple crisp with vanilla ice cream is one of our go-to recipes.

For this recipe, I wanted a simplified version of a pie. It has a buttery type crust made with cold butter and ice water in a food processor just like my favorite pie crust. Instead of rolling out the crust with a rolling pin, you press it into the bottom of a 13 by 9- inch baking dish, which is super easy. The crumble topping is reminiscent of an apple crisp or apple crumb pie.

The bare bones of the recipe was inspired by a recipe I found at the Taste of Home website. I added a lot more apples and a lot less sugar than the original recipe because the soft tender apples are the best part. When making any kind of pie, I always use a bit less sugar simply because I like slightly tart desserts.

Thanks to the crumb topping, the end result was plenty sweet, especially when served with vanilla ice cream. This dessert is at its peak when served slightly warm so the ice cream pools around the apples in tantalizing ways, but it is also great served at room temperature.

Apple Crumble Pie Bars Serves 12

Crust: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter 5 tablespoons ice water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Place flour, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until butter is the size of peas. Slowly add ice water while still pulsing, just until the mixture becomes moist crumbs. Press crust in an even layer in the baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes until edges of the crust are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack before adding filling. Filling: 10 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (about 8 large apples) 3/4 cup pure cane sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix apples with sugar and cinnamon and spread them evenly over the cooled crust.

Crumb topping: 1 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar 1/2 cup butter

Place flour, brown sugar and butter in food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the apples. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and apples are tender, about 60 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.