Fall Desserts and Sweet Treats

These fall treats are all about the flavors I start reaching for once summer winds down: apples, maple syrup, pumpkin, cinnamon, pecans, and plenty of gingerbread spice. You’ll find everything from simple muffins and cookies to old-fashioned pie, braided bread, and a few treats that are especially good for sharing. Some are quick enough for an afternoon bake, while others are worth saving for a cool weekend when you don’t mind spending a little more time in the kitchen.

Apple Treats

Apples are one of my favorite fall baking ingredients because they work in everything from quick breads and scones to cakes and pastries. These recipes pair them with cinnamon, maple, cranberries, and caramel for plenty of fall flavor.

Apple Cider Oatmeal Bread

Apple cider, oats, cinnamon, and cloves give this bread plenty of fall flavor. The oats make it a little heartier than a typical quick bread, and I like serving thick slices for breakfast or alongside a hot cup of tea.
Get the Recipe: Apple Cider Oatmeal Bread

Maple Apple Skillet Cake

Fresh apple slices bake right on top of this Maple Apple Skillet Cake while the edges turn golden in the cast-iron skillet. I love serving this one straight from the pan, especially while the cake is still slightly warm.
Get the Recipe: Maple Apple Skillet Cake

Apple Cream Scones

These Apple Cream Scones are made a little differently from traditional cut scones. Instead of rolling and shaping individual pieces, the dough is patted right into the pan, which makes them especially easy to get into the oven.
Get the Recipe: Apple Cream Scones

Apple Cranberry Galette

Fresh apples and tart cranberries are tucked inside a buttery pastry crust in this simple free-form galette. There is no pie plate or fancy shaping needed; fold the dough up around the fruit and let the oven do the rest.
Get the Recipe: Apple Cranberry Galette

Apple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream

These soft apple cupcakes are flavored with cinnamon and cloves, then topped with maple buttercream frosting. They are a nice choice when you want the flavors of an apple spice cake but in an easy-to-serve individual dessert.
Get the Recipe: Apple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream

Caramel Apple Popcorn

This homemade caramel popcorn gets a fall update with pieces of dried apple mixed right in. Pour the warm caramel over the popcorn, toss everything together, and you’ve got a crunchy snack that’s especially good for movie nights and fall get-togethers.
Get the Recipe: Caramel Apple Popcorn

Pumpkin and Maple Favorites

Pumpkin and maple are two flavors I reach for as soon as fall baking starts. These recipes include everything from muffins and sheet cake to a cold pumpkin spice treat for those warmer autumn days.

Pumpkin Latte Ice Cream

Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream has all those familiar pumpkin, coffee, and warm-spice flavors in a cold, creamy dessert. It is a fun one to make during those early fall days when it still feels a little too warm outside for hot drinks.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Latte Ice Cream

Maple Syrup Walnut Muffins

These Maple Walnut Muffins are topped with a crunchy streusel and finished with a simple icing drizzle. Maple syrup and walnuts make them just right for fall breakfasts, brunches, or an afternoon snack with coffee or tea.
Get the Recipe: Maple Syrup Walnut Muffins

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This Pumpkin Sheet Cake is topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting, then finished with chopped pecans, dried cranberries, and candied ginger. Baking it in a sheet pan also makes it easy to cut and serve when you need dessert for a larger group.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Autumn Leaf Maple-Sugar Cookies

These maple sugar cookies are rolled and cut into fall leaf shapes before baking. I especially like that no two cookies ever look exactly alike, which is part of the fun when you’re making a whole tray of autumn leaves.
Get the Recipe: Autumn Leaf Sugar Cookies

Warm-Spice Fall Treats

Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pecans give these recipes the kind of warm, old-fashioned flavor that belongs in fall baking. This group has a little bit of everything, including cookies, sweet breads, blondies, pie, and bite-size treats.

Cinnamon Bread Pull-Aparts

This homemade pull-apart bread is made from soft yeast dough layered with cinnamon and sugar, then finished with a simple icing drizzle. Instead of slicing it like regular bread, everyone gets to pull off their own buttery cinnamon piece.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Bread Pull-Aparts

Nutmeg and Pecan Braided Bread

This braided yeast bread has a soft center, golden crust, and a sweet pecan filling flavored with nutmeg. The braid makes it look special, but underneath it is still the kind of soft homemade sweet bread that is perfect with coffee or tea.
Get the Recipe: Nutmeg and Pecan Braided Bread

Gingerbread Muffins

These Gingerbread Muffins are soft, warmly spiced, and full of that deep gingerbread flavor that works so well in fall and winter baking. Serve them for breakfast or as an afternoon treat with apple cider, coffee, or tea.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Muffins

Browned Butter Blondies

Browning the butter gives these pecan blondies a deeper, slightly nutty flavor before the toasted pecans even go in. A cinnamon glaze on top adds just enough spice without covering up that classic butter pecan flavor.
Get the Recipe: Browned Butter Blondies

Triple Ginger Cookies

These cookies get their name from using three kinds of ginger for a much fuller ginger flavor than you get from ground spice alone. Cloves and nutmeg round out the spices, while the sugar-coated tops bake up slightly crisp and golden.
Get the Recipe: Triple Ginger Cookies

Butterscotch Pie

This old-fashioned Butterscotch Meringue Pie comes straight from Grandma’s recipe box. The creamy butterscotch filling and fluffy meringue topping make it the kind of classic dessert I still think deserves a place on the fall table.
Get the Recipe: Butterscotch Pie

Gingerbread Rice Krispies Treats

These Gingerbread Rice Krispies Treats take the familiar marshmallow cereal treat and add warm gingerbread spices for fall. They are quick, no-bake, and a good choice when you want something seasonal without turning on the oven.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Rice Krispies Treats

Classic Pecan Tassies

Pecan Tassies are little two-bite pastries with a buttery crust and a sweet pecan filling that tastes a lot like pecan pie. I like them for fall gatherings because they are easy to pick up and eat, and you don’t have to slice and serve a whole pie.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Tassies

Candy Corn Jello Cups

These Candy Corn Jello Cups are an easy make-ahead Halloween dessert with layers of orange and yellow Jello topped with whipped cream.
Get the Recipe: Candy Corn Jello Cups

Looking for more sweet baking ideas? Browse all of my dessert recipes for more cakes, cookies, pies, and other treats.

A Few Things I Use for Fall Baking

• Pure maple syrup: I keep real maple syrup in the pantry for muffins, cakes, glazes, and oatmeal. A little goes a long way, so one bottle lasts me quite a while.
• My loaf pan: A basic 9 x 5-inch metal loaf pan gets a lot of use in my kitchen for quick breads like the Apple Cider Oatmeal Bread.
• Pecans: I use pecans all through fall, so I usually buy a larger bag instead of the smaller packages in the baking aisle. I buy pecan halves because I can leave them whole for decorating or chop them as needed for a recipe.

Which fall treat would you make first? I’m always partial to the apple recipes once fall rolls around, but the pecan tassies are hard to pass up. Leave me a comment and tell me what’s going into your oven.