When the usual dessert order starts getting repetitive, autumn baking offers a different way to finish dinner. These 23 recipes range from spiced pumpkin pastries and rich pecan bakes to apple-filled desserts, frosted cookies, and no-bake sweets. Some are made for sharing by the slice, while smaller hand pies, cookies, and bars make serving easier. A mix of oven-baked and chilled treats gives you options for a weekend gathering or a quiet fall evening.
Fall Pumpkin Linzer Cookies
Cut into pumpkin shapes, Fall Pumpkin Linzer Cookies sandwich sweet pumpkin butter between thin almond-flour shortbread cookies. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice flavor the dough, which chills before the cookies are rolled and baked. A smaller pumpkin-shaped opening reveals the filling, and powdered sugar finishes the tops. These take more planning than ordinary drop cookies, but they make an autumn dessert tray look distinctly seasonal without needing elaborate frosting.
Get the Recipe: Fall Pumpkin Linzer Cookies
Apple Hand Pies
With cinnamon-coated Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples inside pastry, Apple Hand Pies bring the flavor of a full apple pie into smaller portions. Store-bought pie crust keeps the assembly manageable, while an egg wash helps the folded pastries brown in the oven. A vanilla and powdered-sugar glaze goes over them after baking. Set these out for an after-dinner dessert spread when guests would rather grab a pastry than wait for a pie to be sliced.
Get the Recipe: Apple Hand Pies
Old Fashioned Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Recipe
Between two soft pumpkin-spice cookies, Old Fashioned Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Recipe tucks a thick cream cheese frosting made with butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Pure pumpkin puree gives the cookies their autumn flavor, while a scoop helps make evenly sized rounds for sandwiching. Let the cookies cool completely before adding the filling so it stays in place. These are good for a fall dessert platter when a slice of cake would be less convenient.
Get the Recipe: Old Fashioned Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Recipe
Vinegar Pie
An old-fashioned pantry dessert, Vinegar Pie makes a tangy custard filling with sugar, eggs, butter, flour, and a small amount of vinegar. A pastry crust is partially baked first, then filled and returned to the oven until the center sets. Optional cinnamon gives it a warmer note for the season. Serve small slices with coffee after dinner, especially when you want a traditional pie that does not depend on fresh fruit.
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Caramel Apple Pizza
Instead of a savory crust, Caramel Apple Pizza starts with a tender ricotta cookie base baked flat on a sheet pan. Softened cream cheese and caramel form the topping beneath thin Granny Smith apple slices, apple pie spice, and pecans. Additional caramel gets drizzled over the finished dessert. Bake the crust ahead and assemble closer to serving so the fruit keeps its texture. Cut it into wedges for a fall dessert that looks different from another pie.
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Tasty Pumpkin Turnovers
Folded into golden triangles, Tasty Pumpkin Turnovers use purchased puff pastry around a filling of pumpkin puree, brown sugar, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. The pastries are sealed with a fork, brushed with egg wash, and finished with cinnamon and coarse sugar before baking. Each one has crisp, flaky layers around the soft filling. Serve them warm with coffee or cider when a smaller, hand-held pumpkin dessert makes more sense than cutting a whole cake.
Get the Recipe: Tasty Pumpkin Turnovers
Crumbl Copycat Frosted Oreo Cookies
Deep chocolate flavor comes through in Crumbl Copycat Frosted Oreo Cookies, made with crushed Oreos mixed into a cocoa-based cookie dough. Cornstarch helps produce the soft, thick texture, while a vanilla buttercream frosting and extra Oreo crumbs finish each cookie. They are richer and larger than a standard chocolate chip cookie, making one a substantial dessert on its own. Add a few to a fall cookie tray alongside the pumpkin and pecan selections for chocolate variety.
Get the Recipe: Crumbl Copycat Frosted Oreo Cookies
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Under a cinnamon streusel topping, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins hold a sweet cream cheese center inside spiced pumpkin batter. Buttermilk adds moisture, while brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice bring the flavor of autumn baking. The muffins begin at a higher oven temperature before finishing at a lower one. Let them cool after baking so the centers settle, then set them beside hot drinks as a dessert or a sweet addition to a fall brunch.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Dutch Apple Pie Squares
Layered in a rectangular baking pan, Dutch Apple Pie Squares have a buttery cinnamon crust, sliced apples, and a brown-sugar oat crumble. The base is partially baked before the apple filling and topping go on, giving the bars a sturdier foundation. Once completely cooled, the dessert cuts into neat portions for serving. Offer a scoop of vanilla ice cream with each square when you want apple-pie flavors without rolling a traditional top crust.
Get the Recipe: Dutch Apple Pie Squares
Grandma’s Pumpkin Bread with Streusel
A buttery cinnamon crumble crowns Grandma’s Pumpkin Bread with Streusel, while pumpkin and autumn spices flavor the tender loaf beneath it. A light honey glaze goes on after baking for a sweet finish. The recipe works as a thick slice served plain, with whipped cream, or alongside a mug of cider. Bake the loaf earlier in the day and let it cool before cutting, especially when you need a dessert that travels well.
Get the Recipe: Grandma’s Pumpkin Bread with Streusel
Browned Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Nutty browned butter gives Browned Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies their rich base, with butter-toasted pecans and real bourbon adding extra flavor. Brown sugar, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and a little flaky sea salt round out the cookie dough. The butter is browned separately and cooled before mixing, so allow for that extra step. Serve these with coffee after a fall supper when ordinary chocolate chip cookies need a more substantial twist.
Get the Recipe: Browned Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Dump Cake
Spiced pumpkin custard sits beneath the golden topping of Pumpkin Dump Cake, made with puree, evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Dry yellow cake mix and slices of butter go over the filling before the baking dish goes into the oven. No pastry crust is needed. Spoon out portions with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for a warm autumn dessert that takes less assembly than a traditional pie.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Dump Cake
Peanut Butter and Date Chocolate Bark
Chewy Medjool dates form the base of Peanut Butter and Date Chocolate Bark, covered with creamy peanut butter and melted semisweet chocolate. Coconut oil helps the chocolate layer spread, and flaky sea salt finishes the chilled bark. Optional chopped nuts or dried cranberries can add texture. Because it sets in the refrigerator rather than the oven, this gives a fall dessert table a make-ahead chocolate choice when the baking schedule is already full.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter and Date Chocolate Bark
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
Without heating the oven, No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake layers a cream cheese mixture and pumpkin-spice pudding inside prepared graham cracker crusts. Whipped topping and powdered sugar give the cheesecake its creamy texture, while the pudding mix supplies the pumpkin-spice flavor rather than pumpkin puree. It needs refrigerator time to set, so prepare it before the main meal. Bring out chilled slices when a rich fall dessert sounds good but another baked dish would crowd the oven.
Get the Recipe: No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
Dutch Apple Danishes
Flaky puff pastry surrounds a cinnamon-spiced filling in Dutch Apple Danishes, made with Granny Smith apples, brown sugar, butter, and cornstarch. Purchased pastry keeps the preparation shorter than making laminated dough from scratch, and an egg wash helps the edges turn golden. The apple mixture is thickened before baking so the filling stays inside. Set these beside hot coffee for a fall afternoon treat or serve them after dinner while the pastry is still crisp.
Get the Recipe: Dutch Apple Danishes
Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Chopped pecans make the buttery topping of Pumpkin Crunch Cake stand out over a pumpkin custard-style base. Pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice form the bottom layer, while dry yellow cake mix and melted butter bake into a crisp finish. Serve it with whipped topping after the cake has had time to set. It works for an autumn gathering when guests want a rich pumpkin dessert cut into easy portions.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Caramel Apple Sheet Cake
Baked in a jelly roll pan, Caramel Apple Sheet Cake combines a cinnamon-scented cake with buttery frosting and cooked apple pieces. Sour cream keeps the cake tender, while brown sugar, cinnamon, and caramel sauce enrich the fruit topping. The broad pan makes it easier to divide into smaller servings than a tall layer cake. Cut pieces after the frosting and topping settle, then serve for a fall dinner where several people want dessert.
Get the Recipe: Caramel Apple Sheet Cake
Pecan Pie Brownies
Two rich layers make Pecan Pie Brownies different from plain chocolate bars: a cocoa-and-chocolate-chip brownie base with a sweet toasted-pecan topping. The brownies bake partway first, then return to the oven once the pecan mixture is spread over them. Let the pan cool fully for cleaner squares. Set out smaller portions at a fall dessert buffet when guests might want a chocolate treat and a slice of pecan pie in one bite.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Pie Brownies
Apple Dump Cake
Canned apple pie filling keeps Apple Dump Cake simple, with a layer of yellow cake mix, brown sugar, cinnamon, sliced butter, and chopped pecans baked over the fruit. The filling bubbles as the topping browns, giving the dish a spoonable texture rather than neat cake layers. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a fall dessert when there is little time for peeling apples or making pastry.
Get the Recipe: Apple Dump Cake
Bourbon Pecan Pie
Inside a buttery pastry shell, Bourbon Pecan Pie combines pecan halves with eggs, butter, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and real bourbon. The crust can be prepared from scratch, and the filling is cooked briefly before baking in the pie shell. Give the finished pie time to cool and set before slicing. It suits a fall holiday dinner when a classic pecan dessert with a richer flavor belongs at the end of the meal.
Get the Recipe: Bourbon Pecan Pie
Turkey Brownie Cupcakes
Decorated for Thanksgiving, Turkey Brownie Cupcakes start with round pieces cut from a baked pan of brownies rather than standard cupcake batter. Chocolate frosting holds a Nutter Butter cookie body, candy eyes, an M&M beak, and candy corn feathers in place. Premade brownies can shorten the work, leaving the decorating as the main task. Set the finished treats on a fall dessert table when individual portions and playful seasonal designs are wanted.
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Avalanche Crunch Cookies
No baking is needed for Avalanche Crunch Cookies, which combine white melting chocolate, creamy peanut butter, crisp rice cereal, mini marshmallows, and small chocolate chips. Spoonfuls of the mixture set on parchment once the melted coating has cooled. The cereal stays crisp against the softer marshmallows, giving each cluster a mix of textures. Use these as an easy make-ahead treat for a fall dessert tray when cakes and pastries already occupy the oven.
Get the Recipe: Avalanche Crunch Cookies
Easy Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream
Warm from the baking dish, Easy Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream layers sliced Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples beneath a buttery oat crumble. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and lemon juice season the fruit, while brown sugar and cold butter help form the topping. Spoon the crisp into bowls and add vanilla ice cream, with caramel sauce if desired. This is a fitting final dessert for a chilly fall night when warm fruit and a cold topping work together.
Get the Recipe: Easy Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream