41 Fall Desserts To Satisfy Your Craving for a Cozy, Delicious Treat

There’s just something about the change of season that makes us want to head into the kitchen and bake! Whether it’s to use up our apples or pears after a trip to the orchard or simply because we’re craving a perfectly spiced, seasonal treat—fall is one of our favorite times of the year for desserts. You can’t go wrong with any of the ideas in this roundup but a go-to recipe after a day of apple picking is a must. That’s why we love these mini treats; they’re reminiscent of a cake doughnut and perfect for snacking—and flecked with bits of apple. Boosted with cider and topped with streusel, they’re the perfect indulgence.

You don't need fancy inserts or special pans to make a sweet and satisfying baked dessert in an instant pot. This easy recipe lets you cook up a warm, spiced apple treat right in the bowl of the machine.

Ina Garten’s apple and pear crisp combines tender baked fruit with a buttery oat topping for a cozy, crowd-pleasing dessert that’s as simple as it is satisfying. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat.

A crepe cake, while often considered a showstopper, can also be a great family project. A light and fluffy filling gets spread between crepe layers — a perfect job for kids — before being chilled overnight. Topped with whipped cream, chewy strands of caramel and crunchy caramelized sugar, this is a special dessert that will appeal to everyone.

These warm, gooey apple dumplings by Ree Drummond are wrapped in crescent roll dough, drenched in a buttery cinnamon-sugar sauce and finished with a splash of citrusy soda for an irresistible twist.

These 4-ingredient sweets will impress everyone—and make the perfect favor or take-home treat for fall parties.

Pouding chômeur (or "pudding of the unemployed") is a sweet, sticky cake from Quebec, Canada. It originated during the Depression as an easy and cost-effective dessert using pantry ingredients. Originally, you would make a simple sauce with brown sugar, flour and water, spread it on the bottom of a baking dish and then top it with a vanilla cake batter. Once the economy picked up, maple syrup was introduced into the sauce and it quickly became a key ingredient. The result is a super moist cake that you serve warm, sauce-side up, preferably with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries.

These apple-packed cupcakes are topped off with a delicious golden meringue crown for a seasonal treat that's sure to impress.

Apple and almond make the perfect pair in this good-enough-for-company dessert.

Every special gathering deserves something sweet to mark the end of the meal. This elegant gluten-free cake is made by incorporating air into egg whites rather than using a leavener, making it the perfect addition to any celebration. The meringue layers are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and studded with roasted almonds and sesame seeds. Creamy tahini buttercream and tangy apple compote separate and lift the layers of this showstopping dessert.

This stunning dessert is perfect for the holiday season. Pumpkin adds richness to the Swiss roll cake and creamy mousse center, while the warming flavors of pumpkin pie spice permeate the cake, mousse and cream cheese filling.

Fall isn’t just for apples and pumpkins – give pears a chance! Vanilla bean and lemon highlight the delicate pear flavor in this juicy slab pie and baking the fruit in a thin layer allows the slices to soften without turning to mush. It’s a pie worthy of your Thanksgiving table, and the slab form makes it perfect for sharing with a crowd.

Ree turns the classic Italian dessert on its head with the addition of our favorite fall flavor: pumpkin.

We add a little Greek yogurt to our pumpkin cheesecake, making it denser, creamier and the absolute perfect amount of sweet.

Concord grapes are in season during September and October. They have thick skins and a distinctive syrupy sweet taste which makes them perfect for desserts.

Ree's quick and easy apple tart will impress guests but is a cinch to make. It takes only 30 minutes to put together (thanks to sheets of puff pastry and store-bought caramel sauce), but it'll look like you spent hours on it.

Creamy pumpkin and warm ground cinnamon are the perfect combination in a tender muffin. But we upped the ante by adding a decadent cream cheese filling and sweet crumb topping for an over-the-top muffin you’ll want to make all season long.

Break open these oversized cookies, fragrant with pumpkin and spice, to reveal a soft interior with a beautiful swirl.

Bobby's easy Granny Smith apple dessert is topped with brown sugar, granola and a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream. What's not to love?!

One bite of this cranberry-pear filled galette and your tastebuds will be tingling. The homemade crust features toasted pecans, which bring a nice buttery nuttiness to the otherwise fruity dessert.

Super-soft bananas are nice and sweet (green bananas have no place here). Keep them a bit chunky once you mash them so you can get little bits of banana in your bread. Damaris Phillips adds many of the flavors of a traditional bananas Foster dessert (like rum and brown sugar) to this glazed treat, too.

Buckwheat honey has a robust color and flavor that is both deeply floral and richly caramelly—almost like molasses. It balances the tartness of the slowly simmered apples in the filling and adds a really unique flavor that will appeal to any honey lover.

A spiced apple filling tops these buttery cookies, packing all the flavor of an apple pie into a single bite — for a fraction of the work!

Ree’s Pumpkin Cream Cake is perfect for any fall get-together and is based on her Chocolate Sheet Cake that she has made for years. The pumpkin adds amazing flavor, texture and color.

Deep-fried apple pies in a just-for-one size? Yes, please! This recipe will show you how.

Make a batch of this seasonal butter and store in airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Try it on everything from slices of pound cake to buttery shortbread cookies.

These are Molly’s nutty tahini and sweet halva laced versions of the nostalgic dirt cups of your youth, topped with pumpkin candy to look like little geologically accurate pumpkin patches where you can see the subsoil. It's the perfect treat for kids and grown-ups alike.