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The cooling weather calls for a warm, comforting dessert, and these sweet treats are the perfect choice. We highlight seasonal ingredients like pumpkin, apples, carrots and cinnamon, so you’ll get all the cozy fall flavors you know and love. New recipes like our Pumpkin Trifle and Flaky Apple Pie Bars are dreamy and delicious.
Pumpkin Trifle
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf
We think this pumpkin trifle is the best dessert you’ll enjoy this fall, combining layers of pumpkin spice-flavored cake and a creamy pumpkin filling that captures the season perfectly. As a time-saving shortcut, we use vanilla pudding mixed with canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice for the filling, making it both easy to prepare and delicious. This festive dessert is sure to be a hit for the holidays or at any autumn gathering!
Bingka Labu Kuning (Pumpkin Cake)
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Sylist: Sammy Mila, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
This Indonesian bingka labu kuning, or pumpkin cake, is a wonderful alternative to pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. A versatile cake, bingka’s core ingredient can comprise assorted root vegetables, from cassava to sweet potato and yes, pumpkin. Once baked, it has a firm outer skin and a rich, custardy filling. Roasting your own pumpkin flesh is preferred, but you can use canned pumpkin in a pinch.
Flaky Apple Pie Bars
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Sylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
Grab your box of puff pastry for these easy and delicious apple pie bars. You can use any kind of nut you want like almonds or pecans. These bars are a great choice for a fall dessert and would be ideal for a Thanksgiving meal.
Apfelstrudel
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
This adaptation of apfelstrudel, a traditional Austrian baked apple dessert, is made with less added sugar, uses avocado oil instead of butter and calls for whole-wheat phyllo dough for a nutritious dessert. Tart Granny Smith apples are used, but any apple variety can be substituted. Enjoy this fruit-filled dessert warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cappuccino.
No-Added-Sugar Cherry Crumble
Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
This no-sugar-added cherry crumble baked in ramekins is a great way to highlight the flavor of cherries in this naturally sweet snack. The crumble topping, made from oats and slivered almonds, offers a satisfying crunch. Adding a few tart cherries brings a touch of tang for a less-sweet flavor profile, if you prefer.
Apple Crumble Yogurt Bark
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood, Food Stylist: Sally McKay
This creamy frozen apple yogurt bark is filled with warming spices, swirled with applesauce and topped with crunchy granola for a lighter dessert that tastes like fall. It’s an easy, quick recipe that provides a delicious, refreshing bite straight from your freezer whenever you need it.
Pomegranate Masghati
This beautiful pomegranate dessert is served to celebrate Yalda, the Iranian celebration of the winter solstice. Think of masghati as a cross between Jell-O and panna cotta. It’s infinitely more refined and delicate than Jell-O and not quite as wobbly as panna cotta. Prepare pomegranate masghati a few hours in advance, and serve chilled out of the fridge for a light and refreshing dessert.
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bars
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
Enjoy these delightful carrot cake oatmeal bars, perfect for a snack or dessert alongside a steaming cup of coffee. Made with a blend of shredded carrots, oats and a hint of brown sugar, these easy bars capture the essence of carrot cake, while offering a boost of fiber and less sugar than cake. Portable and convenient, these bars can be enjoyed on the move. To make these bars gluten-free, opt for gluten-free oats.
Mbatata (Sweet Potato Cookies)
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
Mbatata cookies are made with sweet potatoes and originated in Mawali. They are heart-shaped to represent the location of Malawi within the African continent—in the center and the heart of the land.
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek
These tender and sweet vegan peanut butter cookies are as simple as it gets. Crunchy peanut butter adds texture, but smooth peanut butter will work well too. These harden as they cool, so wait for them to cool completely before eating. For a different take, try adding 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips or toasted coconut to the batter when you stir in the peanut butter and maple syrup.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
These super-tender pumpkin sugar cookies are perfectly spiced with just the right amount of pumpkin pie spice. The optional frosting is a sweet addition that adds even more warm fall flavors. Add just a touch of orange food coloring to the frosting to make these pumpkin sugar cookies pop. While you may be tempted to use all the dough, the cookies get tougher the more times you roll, so it’s best to re-roll the scraps only once.
Puff-Pastry Apple Turnovers with Brown Butter
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
The filling of these flaky apple turnovers is made with browned butter, giving it a nutty flavor. Granny Smith apples offer a nice balance of sweet and tart, plus they hold their shape when cooked for a pleasant texture. If you want your turnovers sweeter without increasing the sugar, swap them out for a sweeter apple like Gala or Honeycrisp.
The Best Easy Pumpkin Pie
Jacob Fox
This easy pumpkin pie recipe comes together in minutes, plus you only need six ingredients to make it. Using a store-bought pie crust makes it even simpler to prepare, but if you’d prefer to make yours from scratch, we have two foolproof recipes that are worth trying.
Easiest Apple Tarts
Photographer: Carson Downing, Food Stylist: Annie Probst, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek
These apple tarts look and taste like they came from the bakery but are so easy to whip up yourself. An ultra-flaky, buttery puff pastry crust frames tart-sweet Granny Smith apple slices, while the warm flavors from the fruit soak into the pastry. To prevent your apple tarts from becoming soggy, leave any juices from the apple slices behind in the mixing bowl.
2-Bite Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
These mini pumpkin cheesecakes are a festive dessert for any gathering, especially Thanksgiving. Feel free to sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top to amp up the warm, cozy flavors. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own with a mix of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Use leftover pumpkin puree in muffins, soup and more.