Food and Recipes Desserts 25 Spiced Fall Desserts To Get You In the Spirit By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: 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 find. 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 bread of the season. 01 of 25 Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits 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 spiced apple butter made in your slow cooker. Make an extra large batch to use in a slew of fun autumn treats. The best part about using biscuits is you can worry less about the presentation and more about enjoying your apple dessert. 02 of 25 Spiced Pecan Pie Bars 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. Enjoy the flavors of pecan pie with only 10 minutes of hands-on time. Complete this autumn dish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce. 03 of 25 Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes 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. Make these delicious treats up to two days before your party and store them in an airtight container. Save the whipped topping for the day of your event and watch as your guests fall in love with these creamy cheesecakes with a salty, crunchy crust. 04 of 25 Caramel Apple Cookies 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. Imagine a hand-held apple pie, but with chocolate. 05 of 25 Southern Sweet Potato Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Erin Merhar Recipe: Southern Sweet Potato Cake Thanksgiving casseroles aren't the only way to feature sweet potatoes. This idea brings us to this old-fashioned cake that is super moist, delicious, and finished with a standout brown sugar icing. To save time, substitute sweet potato puree for the cup of real sweet potatoes. 06 of 25 Apple Butter-Pecan Quick Bread 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 a crowd-pleaser from morning to night. The nutty flavor comes from toasting the pecans, so be sure not to skip this step. Make a second loaf and freeze it for the next time you are expecting holiday company. 07 of 25 Spiced Pear Hand Pies 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, comforting, and the perfect substitute for traditional autumn flavors. The cooked pear filling has a spicy sweetness complemented by the flaky crust. 08 of 25 Cinnamon Coffee Cake Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Cinnamon Coffee Cake You can't beat this classic Bundt with a warm cinnamon ripple and sweet streusel topping. The tangy sour cream cake batter surrounds a ribbon of sugary crunch. With only 30 minutes of hands-on time, this cake recipe is one you'll want to remember. 09 of 25 Mini Apple Pies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Mini Apple Pies These mini pies are a favorite fall treat, but only tiny, making them better. Small latticed apple pies will disappear from the plate faster than you can say, "pumpkin spice." Muffin tins will keep these adorable hand pies in shape long enough to create the classic flakey crust. 10 of 25 Auntie's Apple Cake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Auntie's Apple Cake This recipe might be our most popular apple cake ever. We're not sure if the fresh apples, pecan-studded spiced batter, or heavenly praline-like frosting makes it so beloved—we're guessing all three. Enjoy it for dessert or have a slice for brunch—or two. 11 of 25 Pumpkin Dump Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pumpkin Dump Cake Thanks to the ease and quick prep time, everyone loves a dump cake. Just mix, dump, and bake—and you're set with a crowd-pleasing pumpkin dessert just waiting for a scoop of ice cream. Ten minutes of hands-on time, and you have a classic fall treat. 12 of 25 Blackberry-Apple Butter Pie Bars 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 look as charming as can be when served in slices. Paired with Slow-Cooker Apple Butter, the fresh apples and blueberries in these pie bars are full of sweet fall flavors. Choose between Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Gala apples to make your favorite version of this dessert. 13 of 25 Persimmon Pudding 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 when it's here. 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. 14 of 25 Spiced Coconut-Pumpkin Pie Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns Recipe: Spiced 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. Ground seasonings make up for the traditionally less-sweet elements of this dessert by adding plenty of flavors. 15 of 25 Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread Crunchy, caramelized cinnamon sugar crust is all you need for a perfect fall bread. This pull-apart version is excellent for breakfast or as a dessert. Plus, it's always a bonus when you don't need to be exact about your layout or presentation because, in the end, it's the taste that counts. 16 of 25 Pumpkin Spice Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cookies Everyone's favorite fall coffee order in easy drop cookie form. What could go wrong? It's a fall version of the classic snickerdoodle, with a buttery and sugary crunch. 17 of 25 Apple Butter Doughnuts with Salted-Caramel Glaze Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Apple Butter Doughnuts with Salted-Caramel Glaze 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. Make the dough up to two days before your holiday gathering or brunch, which is ideal since it needs to chill for at least two hours. Remember the flakey salt for the perfect pairing of sweet caramel and salty crunch. 18 of 25 Butterscotch-Spice Trifle Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Butterscotch-Spice Trifle For an occasion-worthy autumn treat, try a trifle. Make this trifle by layering butterscotch custard, spice cake, and vanilla whipped cream. Talk about yum. Remember to save time for the layers of cake and custard to meld, usually at least four hours in the refrigerator. 19 of 25 Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies 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? Evenly chopping apples and caramels to spread across the hand pies will help them cook properly. Use store-bought pie dough to save on time. 20 of 25 Chocolate Monkey Bread 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 gooey monkey bread is for you. Frozen yeast rolls thawed in the refrigerator overnight help reduce hands-on time. To help pour caramel over the dough, make it just before putting it in the pan. 21 of 25 Molasses Crinkles 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. Provide at least two hours to chill the dough before rolling balls in sugar and then place them on cookie sheets. 22 of 25 Slow Cooker Apple Butter 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. Serve it over hot split biscuits or fluffy pancakes. Or, make a large batch at the beginning of the season and save it for all your favorite fall desserts. 23 of 25 Apple Pie Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Apple Pie Cookies This recipe should receive the cutest cookie award because it looks and tastes like a plate full of shrunken-down apple pies. The simple icing, made from cinnamon, sugar, and milk, adds a delectable sweetness to these bite-size treats. Canned apple pie filling works just fine for the filling of these cookies as well. 24 of 25 Apple Butter Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting 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. This cake, topped with rich caramel frosting and crispy apple chips for extra flair, has everything you want in a fall dessert. Make an extra jar of caramel frosting for the scoop of ice cream to pair with this treat. 25 of 25 Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake 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. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit