Move over peaches and plums, it's apple time.
One of our favorite fall activities is apple picking—we love snagging a couple apple cider donuts, a little apple butter, some hot apple cider, and going a little (okay, a LOT) overboard with the amount of apples we lug home. Just us? Look, we can’t help ourselves! We wait all year for the bounty of crisp, sweet, in-season apples (Red Delicious apples in January are NOT it), and we admittedly get very excited to take advantage of them. The best thing to do with a ton of apples? Bake with them. Whether you too are sitting on a bushel of apples, or just grabbed a couple from your local market, we’ve got a recipe for you. Check out these 46 apple desserts for ideas—they might just rival pumpkin for the best fall desserts around.
Speaking of pumpkin, every year our pie recipes battle it out for top holiday dessert of the year. We’re partial to making them ALL, but if you’re an apple fan, you’ve got to try our apple pie. It’s flaky and buttery, with the perfect sweet-tart filling... swoon. Best of all, we’ve got tons of variations on it too. Try our bacon weave apple pie, our mini apple pies, our apple butter pie, and our apple crumb pie. With all these recipes, you could have a pie a week this fall, no problem.
Looking for easier apple desserts? We get it, pie can be a BIG endeavor. Turn to shortcut ingredients like store-bought caramel, puff pastry, crescent roll dough, phyllo dough, and even the apples themselves to make things a lot easier on yourself. Try our crustless apple “pies”, our French apple tart, our apple dumplings, or our apple strudel for ideas. They’re super-impressive without a ton of effort on your part. Win win.
Want more fall dessert inspiration? Check out our favorite sweet potato desserts and our top pumpkin desserts too.
1
Crescent Apple Dumplings
Using refrigerated crescent dough makes these apple dumplings a cinch to make and adds an extra buttery, flaky texture that truly takes them over the top. Trust us on the secret ingredient too—lemon-lime soda turns into a sweet sauce that you can drizzle over your gooey apple dumplings.
Get the Crescent Apple Dumplings recipe.
2
Apple Pie
Apple pie is the pinnacle of classic American desserts, and everyone needs a staple recipe up their sleeve. If you’ve been searching for one that delivers a flaky, buttery crust and a perfectly sweet-tart apple filling, we’re here to tell you—this is it.
Get the Apple Pie recipe.
3
French Apple Tart
This tart is so easy to make and uses store-bought puff pastry dough, meaning it can be ready in under an hour. The glaze uses a little Grand Marnier, which can be left out or replaced with rum or cognac. It really brings the whole tart together, and we highly recommend it!
Get the French Apple Tart recipe.
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4
Apple Cider Whoopie Pies
Picture all the delightfulness of an apple cider donut, stuffed full of cream cheese frosting and drizzled in salted caramel, and you'll have these incredible whoopie pies. Best part? They're pretty straight-forward to make!
Get the Apple Cider Whoopie Pies recipe.
5
Apple Crisp Cookie Cups
These cookie cups are WAY better than an apple crisp or pie. Why? They're handheld, and that oatmeal crust is SO good.
Get the Apple Crisp Cookie Cups recipe.
6
Apple Coffee Cake
Apples work wonders in this easy coffee cake. They add extra sweetness as well as making the cake extra moist and tender. We love it with Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples, but your favorite baking apple will do the trick!
Get the Apple Coffee Cake recipe.
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7
Apple Pie Bars
When you need to make apple pie for a big group, these bars are absolutely perfect. With a no-fuss crust that you press (not roll), they're SO easier to throw together, and you can't beat that nutty crumb topping.
Get the Apple Pie Bars recipe.
8
Apple Crisp Cheesecake
Apple crisp meets cheesecake in a collaboration of EPIC proportions. Take this to the next level with some homemade whipped cream too.
Get the Apple Crisp Cheesecake recipe.
9
Apple Butter Pie
Want something that couldn’t be easier to put together and to eat? This pie, a cross between a pumpkin and a Dutch apple pie, is adorned with an irresistible crunchy crumble. Buy apple butter at most grocery stores or make your own!
Get the Apple Butter Pie recipe.
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10
Apple Cookies
These snickerdoodle-like cookies are chewy in the center and slightly crisp around the edges. The dough is infused with all the best warm autumnal spices, thanks to the shortcut superhero apple pie spice, and each bite is packed with plenty of tart Granny Smith apple chunks. On top is a drizzle of thick white icing to take these cookies OTT.
Get the Apple Cookies recipe.
11
Apple Crisp
When butter, brown sugar, and oats are combined, something incredible happens in a way that apple pie just can’t match. You'll almost forget the apples are the second layer beneath.
Get the Apple Crisp recipe.
12
Apple Cider Donut Pound Cake
Rich and dense with a cinnamon sugar coating that gets all over our fingers, this cake is warmly spiced and so much easier than frying up a dozen apple cider donuts.
Get the Apple Cider Donut Pound Cake recipe.
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13
Apple Galette
We LOVE galettes. They've got all the delicious elements of pie: flaky, buttery crust, and tender baked fruit. What they don't have is fussy technique: no crimping, no lattice work, and absolutely no blind baking. Sometimes, it's okay to take the easy road.
Get the Apple Galette recipe.
14
Caramel Apples
Caramel apples are one of fall's greatest pleasures. Not only are they easy to make, they're also super-fun to personalize. Follow our easy step-by-step instructions and have an autumnal treat in no time! No state fair required.
Get the Caramel Apples recipe.
15
Crustless Apple Pies
You need to try this hasselback trick with apples ASAP. It tastes like a cross between a homemade apple pie and a warm apple crumble. The best part: You don't need to deal with rolling out and chilling pie dough. 😍
Get the Crustless Apple Pies recipe.
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16
Apple Cider Donut Cake
In our minds, fall isn't fall 'til we've had at least a dozen apple cider donuts. This super-sized version comes together in no time, and there's no deep-frying involved. That's a win in our book!
Get the Apple Cider Donut Cake recipe.
17
Caramel Apple Pie
A classic apple pie is always at the top of our fall baking list, but this year we are deciding to step it up. Caramel sauce brings out the sweetness of apples and makes them taste even MORE like fall.
Get the Caramel Apple Pie recipe.
18
Apple Spice Cake
When baking, it’s best to use a robust apple like Pink Lady, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp. It should be sweet, tart, and sturdy—nothing is worse than eating a flavorless mealy apple pie. In the case of this apple cake, Pink Ladies live up to all of your baked apple expectations: lightly sweet, tart, crisp, and sturdy.
Get the Apple Spice Cake recipe.
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19
McDonald's Apple Pie
Our take on McDonald's apple pie skips the deep fry and is baked instead for an even better copycat of the fast food favorite.
Get the McDonald's Apple Pie recipe.
20
Apple Cobbler
Nothing says fall better than an apple cobbler. It's amazing right out of the oven with a big scoop of ice cream on top.
Get the Apple Cobbler recipe.
