The time for fall baking is now, and we couldn't be happier to whip up these incredible pies, cakes, and more autumn treats.
There’s something about this time of year that makes us want to spend more time in the kitchen. And yes, there are some amazing soups, stews, pastas, and roasts to make this season, but don’t forget dessert. Preheat the oven and get our the baking gear because it’s prime time for whipping up some cakes, pies, cookies, crumbles, and more.
We’re sharing some of our favorite fall desserts that will impress your friends and family—ranging from time-intensive recipes to quicker ones. Take a look below.
Watch out, carrot cake. An intriguing mix of spices, plus coconut sugar for subtle sweetness, put this butternut squash cake over the top. (And did we mention the bourbon?)
If you want a treat that doesn’t involve apple. or pumpkin, try pears! It’s best to poach the pears a day before making this galette.
This buttery, super-rich, show-stopping dessert will satisfy any crowd. Bonus: it’s gluten-free.
While you often see ginger cookies flavored with chocolate, caramel, or even raspberry, adding a bull’s-eye of tangy lime curd transforms them entirely. The brilliant citrus flavor is especially welcome amid the season’s sea of peppermint and warming spices.
Concentrated cider flavors these doughnuts inside and out. Cakey yet crisp, they are a divine fall treat.
This incredible fall pumpkin recipe is pumpkin pie meets crème brûlee, and worthy of your next dinner party.
Our favorite formula for the classic crisp topping—equal parts old-fashioned oats, flour, and brown sugar, plus plenty of butter—bakes up tender enough to meld with the fruit but firm enough to support a scoop of ice cream. In terms of apples, Gravensteins, a lumpy, red-striped variety prized since the early 1800s, have exceptional aroma and sweet-tart flavor, if you can find them. But Pink Lady and Gala will work too—all three options require only a touch of sugar and lemon, and they take well to generous amounts of spices and brandy.
Zoe Nathan of Santa Monica’s Huckleberry Bakery tops her pies with a variety of cutout shapes; for this one, you’ll need a 2 1/2-in. apple-shaped cookie cutter.
Making this crowd-pleaser couldn’t be easier—just stir together seasoned pumpkin pie filling and ice cream and spoon into a gingersnap crumb crust.
A Chez Panisse staple, Alice Waters’ galette is sure to impress year-round and can be made with any sturdy fruit you can find at the market, like pears, peaches, plums, or apricots.
Poach pears in a syrup made with white wine, vanilla bean, and cinnamon; then serve them with dollops of creamy mascarpone cheese and a sprinkle of crunchy pumpkin seeds.
A favorite way to serve fall’s Fuyu persimmons is to accent their delicate fruitiness with cinnamon and lemon. For the best flavor, let fruit ripen at room temperature until it’s bright orange and has a slight give; this may take 1 week. You’ll need a jelly roll pan and an oval-shaped cookie cutter or small knife.
We adapted this recipe from Devil’s Teeth Baking Company to create a border that shows off the bright filling. To completely cover the pie, just double the topping.
Let Fuyu persimmons (the flat-bottom variety) ripen until they’re deep orange and sweet, then set them off simply in a buttery crust with a big dollop of rich mascarpone cheese.
This spicy, tender cake calls for plump Medjool dates from the West. It’s the perfect comforting fall treat.
Basically an open-face pie, this is a great dessert for pie-phobes to make because the crust is so easy to handle.
Inspired by French financiers, these small cakes are dense with the warm flavors of almond, orange zest, and butter. The grapes become a little jammy after baking, which complements the cakes’ richness.
For depth of flavor, Portland pastry chef Kir Jensen roasts the pecans and hazelnuts before adding them to the filling. She likes to roll her cornmeal pastry extra thick, so it’s more substantial.
Feel free to swap in other squash in pastry chef Michelle McKenzie’s recipe: Sugar Pie comes out sweeter, and canned pumpkin is mellow-tasting, if less distinctive.
Somewhere between a custard and a pancake, you’ll find clafoutis. This version of the classic French dessert, made with slightly floral Comice pears, is best when the stem end of the pears yields slightly to the touch, signaling that the fruit is flavorful but neither hard nor squishy.
Portland pasty chef Michelle Vernier cooks the fruit ahead so the pie won’t collapse in the oven.
You’ll need a nonstick 10-in. tart pan; or butter a regular pan and dust with gluten-free baking mix like Cup4Cup (or flour).
This irresistible pumpkin recipe features layers of pumpkin and vanilla ice cream inside a graham cracker crust, with gooey caramel on top.
The canned pumpkin in the batter keeps these cupcakes moist, reducing the amount of oil you need to use.
These buttery little pecan cookies taste wonderful filled with leftover cranberry sauce.