27 Spiced Fall Desserts To Get You In the Spirit

By Kaitlyn Yarborough
September 14, 2020
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Nothing gets us into the autumn spirit like the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and pumpkin spice in the air, particularly when it’s wafting out of our ovens. When the coziest season hits, there is no better way to celebrate than with a fantastic fall baking list that includes spice cakes, pumpkin pies, and all the apple treats we can get our hands on. Whether you start with apple butter biscuit cobbler, mini pumpkin cheesecakes, spiced pecan pie bars, or cinnamon pull-apart bread, you’re guaranteed to get the good autumn feels going. Get the very best of fall flavor with these 27 spiced fall desserts featuring our favorite cakes, cobblers, cookies, pies, and sweet breads of the season. 

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Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits

The secret to this gooey fall cobbler is a spiced apple butter made in your slow cooker that can be used to make a whole slew of fun autumn treats. 

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2 of 27

Spiced Pecan Pie Bars

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Spiced Pecan Pie Bars

Anything that makes pecan pie portable is right up our alley, especially this recipe that gets an extra kick of fall flavor from cinnamon and ginger. 

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Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Credit: Photographer: Alison Miksch Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee

Recipe: Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

These cute miniature cheesecakes are like autumn in a bite, featuring a spiced pumpkin filling and sweet maple whipped cream topping. 

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Caramel Apple Cookies

Credit: Photographer: Alison Miksch Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee

Recipe: Caramel Apple Cookies

You might not find a more festive cookie recipe to make this fall. These white chocolate chip cookies topped with Granny Smith apple slices and a drizzle of jarred caramel sauce are bound to wow the crowd. 

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Southern Sweet Potato Cake

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Erin Merhar

Recipe: Southern Sweet Potato Cake

Sweet potatoes deserve to be showcased in more ways than just a Thanksgiving casserole, which brings us to this old-fashioned cake that is super moist, delicious, and finished with a standout brown sugar icing. 

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Apple Butter-Pecan Quick Bread

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Apple Butter-Pecan Quick Bread

With all the seasonal spices, chopped pecans, and our spectacular Slow-Cooker Apple Butter, this quick bread is guaranteed to please from morning to night. 

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Spiced Pear Hand Pies

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Spiced Pear Hand Pies

Forget about the fall apple craze for a minute and choose pears instead—these cardamom-spiced hand pies are warm and comforting. 

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Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Cinnamon Coffee Cake

You can't beat this classic Bundt with a warm cinnamon ripple and sweet streusel topping that both work wonderfully with a tangy sour cream cake batter. 

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Mini Apple Pies

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Mini Apple Pies

A favorite fall treat, but make it tiny. Small latticed apple pies will disappear from the plate faster than you can say, "pumpkin spice." 

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Auntie’s Apple Cake

Credit: Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke

Recipe: Auntie’s Apple Cake

This might be out most popular apple cake ever, and we're not sure if it's the fresh apples, pecan-studded spiced batter, or heavenly praline-like frosting that makes it so beloved—we're guessing all three. 

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Pumpkin Dump Cake

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pumpkin Dump Cake

Everyone loves a dump cake, thanks to the ease and quick prep time. Just mix, dump, and bake—and you're set with a crowd-pleasing pumpkin dessert just waiting for a scoop of ice cream. 

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Blackberry-Apple Butter Pie Bars

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Blackberry-Apple Butter Pie Bars

A perfect mix between pie and bar cookie, this recipe flavored with sweet apple butter and tart blackberries looks as charming as can be when served in slices. 

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Persimmon Pudding

Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Persimmon Pudding

Persimmon season might be fleeting, but it's worth taking advantage of. This moist pudding is warmly spiced and balanced with the addition of orange zest and liqueur. A cinnamon whipped cream makes the most delicious topping. 

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Spiced Coconut-Pumpkin Pie

Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns

Recipe: Spiced Dairy-Free Coconut-Pumpkin Pie

Coconut milk makes a classic pumpkin pie taste even creamier and naturally sweetened. Plus, any dairy-sensitive folks can enjoy a slice. 

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Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Credit: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

There isn't a heaven like tasting the crunchy, caramelized cinnamon-sugar crust on the outside of this pull-apart bread.

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Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Everyone's favorite fall coffee order in easy drop cookie form. What could go wrong? 

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Apple Butter Doughnuts with Salted-Caramel Glaze

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Apple Butter Doughnuts with Salted-Caramel Glaze

Just look at the glaze on these autumn-ready doughnuts made with homemade slow-cooker apple butter—it's enough to have everyone coming back for seconds. 

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Butterscotch-Spice Trifle

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Butterscotch-Spice Trifle

For an occasion-worthy autumn treat, try a trifle. This one is made with layers of butterscotch custard, spice cake, and vanilla whipped cream. Talk about yum. 

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Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs

Recipe: Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies

Caramel and apple go hand-in-hand come October, and what better way to get a taste of the delicious duo than with hand pies? Exactly. 

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Chocolate Monkey Bread

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Recipe: Chocolate Monkey Bread

If you want your fall spice with a side of chocolate, this ooey, gooey monkey bread will certainly tickle the taste buds. 

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Molasses Crinkles

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Molasses Crinkles

These old-school spice cookies will see you from autumn through the holiday season. Molasses lends the perfect amount of dark sweetness and pairs well with ginger. 

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Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Slow Cooker Apple Butter

We thought we might as well showcase the key ingredient to almost all of our apple butter-infused dessert recipes: this slow-cooker apple butter made only with apples, sugar, and three spices you'll already have on hand. It's traditionally served over hot split biscuits or fluffy pancakes. 

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Pumpkin Spice-Chocolate Marble Loaves

Credit: Linda Pugliese

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice-Chocolate Marble Loaves

Chocolate lovers don't have to give it up come autumn, especially since pumpkin and chocolate make the best of friends in a swirled loaf. 

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Apple Pie Cookies

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Apple Pie Cookies

The cutest cookie award goes to...this recipe that looks and tastes like a plate full of shrunken-down apple pies. 

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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

This quintessential fall flavor comes in all baking shapes and sizes, such as these pumpkin frosting-topped cupcakes fit for a bake sale.

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Apple Butter Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Apple Butter Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting

Expect one of the best bites of the season when you reach the apple butter-pecan ripple in the center of this Bundt cake topped with rich caramel frosting and crispy apple chips for extra flair. 

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Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake

The magic here lies in a fluffy layer of flan combined with spice cake batter and buttery caramel sauce. The result? A show-stopping fall centerpiece. 

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