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Nothing says fall quite like the smell of apples and cinnamon baking in the oven. Once apple picking season hits, there’s always a bag of apples on the counter waiting to be turned into something cozy, and these apple desserts are the best way to use them up.
This list has something for every skill level and every occasion. There are classics like apple pie and apple crisp, easy shortcuts made with puff pastry, pie crust and crescent rolls, and crowd-pleasing bars that are perfect for Thanksgiving. You’ll also find a few breakfast-worthy bakes like apple cider donuts, fritter bread and crumb muffins.
I rounded up 15 of the best apple desserts from some of my favourite food bloggers, so you can find your new go-to fall recipe.
The Best Apple Desserts to Make This Fall
This article is all about the best apple desserts.
1. Classic Apple Pie
What it is: The ultimate fall dessert: a flaky, buttery double crust packed with tender, cinnamon-spiced apples.
The filling uses about 10 cups of sliced apples (a mix of tart and sweet is best) with sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Plan on about 7 hours from start to finish, since the pie needs time to cool. Tip: cook the filling on the stove for about 5 minutes before assembling, then let the baked pie cool for at least 3 hours so the slices hold together instead of running.
2. Apple Crisp with Pecan Oat Crumble
What it is: Warm, gooey Granny Smith apples under a crunchy brown sugar, oat and pecan crumble.
It’s about 20 minutes of prep and 45 minutes in the oven, plus a 10 minute rest before serving. Top it with vanilla ice cream while it’s still warm. Tip: make the crumble topping up to a day ahead and keep it covered at room temperature. Just slice the apples right before baking so they don’t brown.
3. Baked Apple Cider Donuts
What it is: Soft, cakey donuts made with reduced apple cider and rolled in buttery cinnamon sugar, just like the ones from the orchard.
No deep frying needed: they bake in a donut pan in about 10 minutes and the whole recipe takes around 35 minutes. Reducing the cider first gives them a big apple flavour. Tip: only fill each donut cavity about halfway. The batter is thick and rises a lot, so overfilling makes them spill over.
4. Apple Fritter Bread
What it is: All the flavour of an apple fritter in an easy quick bread, with a cinnamon sugar swirl and a sweet vanilla glaze.
Sour cream or Greek yogurt keeps the loaf soft and moist, and diced apples are layered through the batter. It takes about 1 hour 30 minutes, including cooling. Tip: loosely tent the pan with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking so the top doesn’t get too dark before the centre is set.
5. Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
What it is: A brown sugar shortbread crust, creamy cheesecake, cinnamon apples, oat streusel and a drizzle of salted caramel, all in one bar.
They take about 1 hour 5 minutes of prep and baking, and they’re perfect for a crowd since one pan makes plenty of squares. Tip: these freeze well, so you can bake them ahead of Thanksgiving or a holiday party and thaw them the day before.
6. Rustic Apple Galette
What it is: A free-form apple tart that gives you all the flavour of apple pie with a fraction of the work.
A refrigerated pie crust is folded around sliced Granny Smith apples tossed with sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and melted butter, then finished with sanding sugar. It’s ready in about 32 minutes. Tip: arrange the apple slices so they overlap in a circle like dominoes. It looks bakery-worthy and helps them cook evenly.
7. Brown Butter Apple Blondies
What it is: Chewy brown sugar blondies loaded with sauteed cinnamon apples and topped with a brown butter icing.
Browning the butter gives them a deep, nutty, toffee-like flavour that goes perfectly with the apples. Allow about 3 hours, since most of that is cooling time. Tip: line your 9×13 pan with parchment paper and leave some overhang, so you can lift the whole slab out and cut neat squares.
8. Easy Apple Turnovers
What it is: Flaky puff pastry pockets filled with buttery cinnamon apples and drizzled with a simple glaze.
Store-bought puff pastry keeps them easy, and the filling is just Granny Smith apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Plan on about 1 hour. Tip: refrigerate the assembled turnovers uncovered for 20 minutes before brushing on the egg wash. It helps keep the filling from leaking out in the oven.
9. Fresh Apple Cake
What it is: A moist, old-fashioned cinnamon cake packed with 4 cups of diced fresh apples.
It’s a simple one-bowl style cake with brown and white sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon, and it only takes about 10 minutes to mix. Bake time is about an hour. Tip: start checking for doneness at the one hour mark with a toothpick, and store leftovers in the fridge since the cake is full of fresh fruit.
10. Apple Cobbler
What it is: Juicy spiced apples baked under a golden, buttery cobbler topping.
The filling gets cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, lemon juice and zest for a bright, cozy flavour. It’s ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and is best served warm with a scoop of ice cream. Tip: to slice apples faster, cut the four sides off around the core, then lay each piece flat and slice it thinly.
11. Apple Hand Pies
What it is: Mini apple pies you can eat with your hands, with a homemade buttery crust and a sweet cinnamon apple filling.
The dough needs to chill for at least 2 hours, then the pies bake for about 18 to 20 minutes. A sprinkle of turbinado sugar gives them a sparkly, crunchy top. Tip: scoop the filling with a slotted spoon so extra juice stays behind. You can also freeze the hand pies before or after baking.
12. Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings
What it is: Apple wedges wrapped in crescent roll dough and baked in a buttery brown sugar and apple cider syrup.
With just a tube of crescent rolls, a couple of Granny Smith apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and apple cider, they come together in about 35 minutes. Tip: make sure you grab apple cider, not apple cider vinegar. For a crowd, double the recipe in a 9×13 pan and add up to 10 extra minutes of baking.
13. Apple Pie Bars
What it is: All the goodness of apple pie baked in a 9×13 pan with a buttery shortbread-style crust, so it’s easy to slice and share.
The filling uses about 10 apples with brown sugar, cinnamon and a little cream, and the bars bake for about 1 hour 20 minutes. They’re great for potlucks and holiday dessert tables. Tip: line the pan with parchment paper so you can lift the whole thing out once it’s cool and cut clean square bars.
14. Baked Apples
What it is: Whole apples stuffed with a buttery cinnamon, brown sugar and oat filling and baked until soft and tender.
It’s a simple, cozy dessert that only needs a handful of ingredients, and it takes about 1 hour 25 minutes. Fuji or Honeycrisp apples hold their shape well. Tip: don’t bother peeling the apples, since the skin softens as they bake. Baste them with the pan juices about halfway through.
15. Apple Muffins with Crumb Topping
What it is: Soft, bakery-style apple muffins with a crunchy cinnamon crumb topping and a light glaze.
They’re ready in about 37 minutes and work just as well for breakfast as they do for dessert. Tip: to re-crisp the crumb topping on leftovers, warm the muffins in a 150°C (300°F) oven for about 5 minutes, then add the glaze after reheating.
Tips for Baking with Apples
- Pick the right apples. Firm, tart apples like Granny Smith hold their shape in pies and crisps, while Honeycrisp, Fuji and Gala add sweetness. A mix of both gives you the best flavour.
- Slice evenly. Apple slices that are all about the same thickness bake at the same rate, so nothing ends up crunchy or mushy.
- Use lemon juice. A squeeze of lemon keeps cut apples from browning and brightens the flavour of the filling.
- Let it cool. Pies, bars and blondies need time to set. Cutting too soon means runny filling and messy slices.
- Freeze extras. Many of these desserts, like hand pies and cheesecake bars, freeze well, so you can bake ahead for the holidays.
Which apple dessert are you baking first? Pin this post so you can find it again for apple picking season, Thanksgiving and cozy fall weekends!
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