Ah, fall. The leaves start turning, the weather gets cool enough to sleep with the windows open again, and we get ready to celebrate the best way we know how: by turning on the oven and baking our favorite fall desserts! After all, is there anything better than walking into a home that smells like freshly baked pumpkin bread?
Fall really is the season of great desserts. It's warm enough that you can enjoy ice cream and other frozen treats, but there are also days where the heat backs off enough that the idea of baking (and eating warm desserts) doesn't seem entirely unreasonable. Plus, the season is full of so many of our favorite sweet-treat flavors, including cinnamon, apples, and pumpkin!
This fall dessert roundup features all kinds of great desserts, from pumpkin and apple pies (which we recommend especially if you've just been to one of our favorite pick-your-own orchards), to tarts, cookies, plenty of Halloween-themed treats, and even sports-themed desserts, like a delicious football whoopie pie recipe with cinnamon cream.
The best part of these sweet treats, though, is the opportunity to serve them at an upcoming fall dinner party. What better excuse to host a fall dinner? And we haven't even talked about the chance to showcase your baking prowess at your annual Thanksgiving feast. Whether it's a batch of fall cookies, a homemade pie, or a cake, there's bound to be a recipe here that satisfies your sweet tooth and your love for the season.
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1
Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes with Swirled Frosting
These cupcakes, topped with an easier-than-it-looks frosting, is the perfect after-school snack or bake sale treat.
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2
Mummy Pumpkin Hand Pies
These easy to make hand pies also make a spooky breakfast or after-school treat.
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3
Spiced Pumpkin-Molasses Cake
This pumpkin cakes is delicious and moist—and we have a simple jack-o-lantern template to help you decorate it.
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4
Pumpkin-Spiced Buns with Spiderweb Glaze
These sweet, spooky-looking buns are packed with seasonal flavors, and go perfectly with a cup of coffee after dinner.
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5
Spider Cookie Truffles
These no-bake truffles are made with just three ingredients, plus eyeballs and licorice for decoration.
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6
Double-Crust Apple-Cheddar Pie
Here, flaky layers of pie crust envelop an unlikely (but fabulous!) flavor combination: tart Cheddar and crisp apple. It's fall's best odd couple.
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7
Hats and Bats Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts
Chocolate and peanut butter need no introduction! The classic flavor pairing gets a fun, Halloween-inspired makeover in these flaky chocolate tarts.
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8
Pretzel-Chocolate-Pecan Slab Pie
Hosting a fall dinner party? This sweet and salty slab pie feeds up to 16 people!
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9
Dark Chocolate-Pecan Toffee
A dusting of sea salt balances out the sweetness of chocolate in this pecan toffee.
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10
Cranberry-Apple Hand Pies
Need a sweet treat on the go? These handhelds are a fruity dessert you can eat just about anywhere.
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11
Gingery Sweet Potato Pie
A generous dollop of cream adds a zesty bite to this sweet potato pie. To make each slice even sweeter, serve with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.
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12
Jelly Donut Holes
Astound friends and delight your family with homemade jelly donut holes!
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13
Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Pecans, both chopped and whole, give these shortbread cookies plenty of nuttiness.
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14
Sweet Potato Casserole With Homemade Marshmallow
There are few things more impressive than homemade marshmallow. In this mile-high dessert, it joins forces with spiced sweet potato (yes, there's a dash of cayenne pepper in there!) for a result that's as beautiful as it is delicious.
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15
Rosemary-Pumpkin Seed Brittle
This sweet treat is trickier than your standard kid-friendly fare. Roasted pepitas, herbs, a generous pinch of salt and a dash of pepper give it a spooky mix of flavors.
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16
Pecan Slab Pie
You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving Day to break out the pecan desserts, you know! This larger-than-life pecan slab pie would be welcome at tailgates and fall dinner parties, too.
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17
Boarded-Up Window Caramel Nut Tart
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18
Spooky Forest Pudding Cups
Halloween's just around the corner, and we are so ready. These pudding cups feature chocolate "trees" and sprinkles "branches," and we have a feeling they'll look lovely on any dessert table.
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19
Marshmallow Ghost Brownies
Your guests will be ooh-ing and aah-ing (and perhaps even "boo"-ing) over these Halloween brownies all night long. Pro tip: Pipe your ghouls immediately after making the marshmallow.
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20
Coffin Sandwich Cookies
You'll be the talk of this year's Halloween party if you bring along these coffin sandwich cookies. Just be sure to bring enough for everyone to have seconds—they're bound to go quickly.
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