24 Fall Desserts That Make Magic in Your Kitchen

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?)

Recipe: Butternut Squash Spice Cake

This fluffy confection from Tartine Bakery's Elisabeth Prueitt uses roasted sweet potato puree instead of fall's more prevalent pumpkin for a perfectly fall-spiced treat.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Tea Cake With Meringue

Concentrated cider flavors these doughnuts inside and out. Cakey yet crisp, they are a divine fall treat.

Recipe: Glazed Cider Doughnuts

This incredible fall pumpkin recipe is pumpkin pie meets crème brûlee, and worthy of your next dinner party.

Recipe: Pumpkin Brûlee Tart

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 (find at globalsugarart.com; $1.99).

Recipe: Caramel Apple Pie with Pastry Cutouts

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.

Recipe: Pumpkin Ice Cream Gingersnap Pie

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.

Recipe: Sauvignon Blanc–Poached Pears with Spicy Pepitas

A cream torte is like a cross between a cake, a custard, and a dutch baby. The tender-sweet varieties of apples used here soften more readily than some when baked, making them a better match for the delicate cake.

Recipe: Apple Cream Torte

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.

Recipe: Sweet-Potato Pecan Pie

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.

Recipe: Spiced Persimmon Tart with Brandied Mascarpone

Basically an open-face pie, this is a great dessert for pie-phobes to make because the crust is so easy to handle.

Recipe: Apple Pumpkin Galette

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.

Recipe: Mini Almond and Grape Cakes

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.

Recipe: Hazelnut, Pecan, and Bourbon Pie

Cardamom and candied ginger add an intriguing flavor twist to this pie recipe courtesy of reader Elaine E. Johnson.

Recipe: Three-Spice Apple Pie

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.

Recipe: Spiced Persimmon Slab Pie

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. Shauna Sever, an 18 Reasons instructor, suggested the spicy gingersnap layer. You’ll need a 9-in. deep-dish pie pan.

Recipe: Kabocha Squash Crème Fraîche Pie

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.

Recipe: Comice Pear Clafoutis

These addictive cookies—made with a buttery base and a caramelized topping—will carry you through the holiday season, from sweets for Thanksgiving dinner to an easy gift to whip up in December.

Recipe: Hazelnut Shortbread Bars

Portland pasty chef Michelle Vernier cooks the fruit ahead so the pie won’t collapse in the oven.

Recipe: Lattice-Top Apple Quince Pie

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).

Recipe: Apple, Fig, and Honey Tart

This irresistible pumpkin recipe features layers of pumpkin and vanilla ice cream inside a graham cracker crust, with gooey caramel on top.

Recipe: Pumpkin Caramel Ice Cream Pie

The canned pumpkin in the batter keeps these cupcakes moist, reducing the amount of oil you need to use.

Recipe: Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

Tangy goat cheese in the frosting and a hint of cocoa and pepper in the cake add a depth and sophistication to this carrot cake.

Recipe: Spiced Apple Carrot Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting

These buttery little pecan cookies taste wonderful filled with leftover cranberry sauce.

Recipe: Cranberry Thumbprints