22 Easy Fall Desserts to Make at Home

Whether you’re prepping for a seasonal bake sale or simply craving some warming treats, here are some of the best fall desserts:

1. 1. Apple cranberry crisp: Tangy cranberries add satisfying tartness to this rustic, fall-friendly dessert consisting of a thick baked fruit covered with a crumb-like streusel topping. Enhance the flavor profile of your apple cranberry crisp by sprinkling some zesty, chopped candied ginger on top.
2. 2. Apple crumble: Consisting of tender pieces of cooked apple tucked underneath a buttery streusel topping, apple crumble is a play on the fall-favorite pie that requires a fraction of the time, effort, and baking expertise. Serve this variation of apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a cup of ice-cold milk or hot coffee. Make caramel apple crumble by covering this dessert in caramel sauce.
3. 3. Apple pie: This classic fall pie features a sugar-dusted crust made of buttery pâte brisée pie dough. With one layer of crust on top and another on the bottom, pastry chef Joanne Chang’s double-crust apple pie recipe makes the perfect staple recipe to please any crowd. Remember that you can modify this apple dessert to include a single crust or lattice crust. Serve a slice of this pie with a dollop of whipped cream, homemade ice cream (known as à la mode), or a slice of cheddar cheese.
4. 4. Applesauce cake: This apple cake is a spiced dessert consisting of unsweetened applesauce and pantry staples that evoke the best parts of apple cider and pie. Top applesauce cake with streusel to transform it into a coffee cake, spread cream cheese frosting over it, or serve it plain with a dusting of powdered sugar for a tea-time snack.
5. 5. Brown sugar cookies: A twist on traditional white sugar cookies, this dessert features a sweet molasses flavor due to the incorporation of brown sugar. The high moisture level in brown sugar results in a super-soft, chewy cookie with slightly crispy edges. Form the cookie dough into balls and bake as-is, or roll it out flat and cut it into fun, festive shapes perfect for holiday celebrations. Learn how to make brown sugar cookies at home.
6. 6. Butterscotch pudding: This homemade pudding is a caramel-flavored custard made with kitchen staples like milk, pure vanilla extract, butter, and cornstarch. Though you will need to refrigerate butterscotch pudding for at least two hours before it is the right consistency to eat, you can prepare this creamy gluten-free dessert in under thirty minutes. Sprinkle some coarse sea salt flakes on top for a salted caramel flavor.
7. 7. Carrot cake: Put your fall root vegetable harvest to use by making carrot cake with veggies from your garden. Shredded carrots add moisture to this dense cake, and cream cheese frosting lends it a tangy richness. Make a homemade carrot cake recipe with alternating layers of sponge, or make it into a bundt cake.
8. 8. Cinnamon apple cobbler: This freeform fall dessert consists of an apple base and a biscuit topping dropped in dollops on the fruit—the dough puffs up to look like cobblestone streets. With the inclusion of warming spices, cinnamon apple cobbler will please everyone at your fall gathering.
9. 9. Gingerbread cinnamon rolls: This sweet rolled pastry consists of a yeasted dough and gooey cinnamon-sugar filling, topped with cream cheese icing. In Denmark, cinnamon buns are known as kanelsnegl, or “cinnamon snails”—they have the same spiral shape but typically lack the cream cheese icing. Add ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and extra cinnamon to the filling of this cinnamon bun recipe for extra gingerbread flavor.
10. 10. Gingerbread cookies: Commonly associated with the holidays, the warming flavors of these gingerbread-forward treats make for the perfect fall dessert. Bake gingerbread cookies until golden brown and top them with buttercream frosting.
11. 11. Oatmeal raisin cookies: This classic cookie recipe contains raisins, oats, sugar, and spices. Old-fashioned oats are the most common type to use in oatmeal raisin cookies because they are hearty and hold their shape in cookie dough. Another option is quick oats, which are thinner, more tender, and break down easier with the introduction of liquid and heat.
12. 12. Peanut butter cookies: Among the easiest fall desserts to make, these crumbly, chewy cookies are full of peanut butter flavor and typically feature a criss-cross pattern of fork marks on top. You can make peanut butter cookies with crunchy peanut butter for more texture or swap it for another nut butter, like almond butter.
13. 13. Pecan pie: This quintessential Thanksgiving dessert has a toothsome texture and complex taste. Pecan pie features a mosaic of pecan halves suspended in a silky, sugary blend of eggs and butter. Learn how to make pecan pie.
14. 14. Pumpkin bread: One of the most popular pumpkin desserts, this quick bread consists of pumpkin purée and warm baking spices. Like zucchini bread, pumpkin bread gets its hearty rise from a leavener, such as baking soda or baking powder (instead of yeast). The pumpkin purée imparts a moist, rich texture. A basic pumpkin bread recipe provides a simple canvas that lends itself well to other treats, like pumpkin muffins or mini loaves.
15. 15. Pumpkin bread pudding: Making pumpkin bread pudding involves coating day-old brioche bread in a sweet pumpkin custard before baking it into a sweet casserole. Serve pumpkin bread pudding as a sweet brunch side dish or a fall-friendly dessert topped with homemade vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche.
16. 16. Pumpkin cookies: These single-serving treats derive their creamy flavor from pumpkin purée and warm spices like ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Because these flavors are common in apple pie spice, pumpkin cookies evoke the taste and texture of everyone’s favorite fall treat. Prepare this dessert as an autumn treat or at any other time of the year.
17. 17. Pumpkin spice cookies: Flavored with the warming spices like ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves (usually featured in pumpkin pie), pumpkin spice cookies are a zesty handheld treat. Some pumpkin spice cookies are lean and chewy (like snickerdoodles), while others are texturally similar to a spice cake. Top your spiced pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting for some decadent tanginess. Alternatively, add dark chocolate chunks to this recipe to make pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies.
18. 18. Red velvet cupcakes: Made from a cocoa-flavored batter, these striking red cupcakes feature a tangy cream cheese frosting and a deep chocolate flavor. Tangy cream cheese frosting is the traditional topping for red velvet cupcakes, but you can use glaze, ganache, or buttercream to garnish these baked goods.
19. 19. Shortbread cookies: These crumbly treats derive their flaky texture from butter or lard. For hundreds of years, bakers have made shortbread using a 3:2:1 ratio of flour to butter to sweetener. Top shortbread cookies with spiced apple chutney or caramel sauce for extra fall flavor.
20. 20. Sourdough brownies: This hearty, tangy twist on classic fudgy brownies utilizes a yeast-infused sourdough starter, giving the brownies a slight lift and a faint sourdough flavor. This is different from traditional brownies, which use baking powder (for cake-like brownies) or whipped eggs (for fudgy brownies) for lift and texture. Learn how to make sourdough brownies.
21. 21. Sweet potato pie: Similar in taste and texture to pumpkin pie, this Southern confection involves baking mashed sweet potatoes into a pie crust. In addition to being nutritious (they contain vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium), sweet potatoes are naturally creamy and sweet, making them easy to turn into a pie filling. Cover the sweet potato pie with a toasted marshmallow topping for extra sweetness.
22. 22. Tarte Tatin: This classic French apple tart resembles an inverted pie filled with caramelized fruit. Before serving, the baker inverts the pan onto a cutting board or platter to reveal a tarte Tatin with glistening apples and a crispy, crackly crust.

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