37 Apple Desserts That Make Us Want to Pick the Whole Orchard
“Fall desserts” could include lots of delicious things, but when cool winds blow, we tend to pine for apple desserts. You too? Welcome, friend. Whether they’re sweet apples or tart apples, apples cooked to a sticky paste or gently warmed to retain their crisp bite, all the fruit really needs to shine is a little butter, some cinnamon sugar, and heat. (And a scoop of vanilla ice cream never hurts.)
When choosing the best apples for baking, especially in fall, you’ve got a lot to consider. Steer clear of more expensive varieties like Fuji and Honeycrisp apples, meant for eating out of hand. Instead, look for mid-range apples. Tart apple varieties like Granny Smiths and Pink Ladies are our go-to’s, but sweet apples, such as Golden Delicious and Braeburns, also work well. The former add zing to a batter or filling and better hold their shape, while the latter bring rich flavor and juicy texture. For many baking projects, we like a mix.
As to whether or not you should peel your apples, it’s dealer’s choice. Some bakers include apple skins for added pectin, nutrition, or color. Others simply don’t like the texture. For most recipes, the decision is entirely preferential.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman1/37Appalachian Apple Stack Cake
Photo by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski5/37Fall Fruit Galette
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova6/37Suspiciously Cheesy Apple Crumb Bars
Incorporating Cheez-Its into the dough for this apple dessert results in a toasty, buttery flavor that your friends will be able to identify as deliciousness, but not necessarily as cheesiness. (Trust us, we did a blind taste-test.)
Alex Lau7/37Easiest Caramel Apple Clafoutis
Pink Ladies and Granny Smith apples are our go-to oddments for baking, but you can choose any kind if it has a firm texture and a good bit of acidity.
Gentl & Hyers9/37Braised and Brûléed Apples With Ice Cream
A thin layer of caramelized sugar on the surface of these apples mimics the crackle of crème brûlée. Finally, a good reason to poach fruit.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Suzie Myers13/37Caramel Apple Snacking Cake
15/37Apple Pandowdy
“I love this when I want baked apples but don’t want to make dough,” writes former BA editor Alex Beggs of this recipe, which relies on sliced frozen pastry for its craggy top. “I didn’t have flour,” says Alex, which thickens the filling, but “cornstarch worked fine.” That same filling used the last of her melted butter, so she egg-washed the pastry before baking, “and it got super golden brown and crispy.” It may be our most forgiving apple dessert, “hands down-y.”
Gentl & Hyers16/37Yeasted Apple Coffee Cake
Sure, this is a list of our best apple dessert recipes, but coffee cake is not exclusively for breakfast. Coffee cake can be enjoyed any time you drink coffee (and, really, any other time too), which means breakfast, later in the morning, after lunch, late afternoon, at night…
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman17/37Apple and Honey Rice Kugel
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski18/37Glazed and Flaky Apple Tart
Gentl & Hyers19/37Apple-Cheddar-Rosemary Beignets
Fresh apples and cheddar met on a cheese board, realized they both dreamed of heading to New Orleans to be battered and fried to puffy, billowy bliss, and ran off together to do just that. Speaking of Louisiana, don’t let another fall go by without trying chef Kelly Fields’ caramel apple cheesecake made from Creole cream cheese.
20/37Apple Butter Spice Cake With Cinnamon Crumble
This loaf cake is the ultimate fall-season treat to bring to new neighbors. Think people don’t do that anymore? You could be the one to revive this charming custom.
Christopher Testani21/37DIY Apple Mille-Feuille
For the most delicious apple condiment, shave the fruit into thin rounds on a mandoline, then bake them in a bath of maple syrup, vanilla extract, and bourbon. Layer them with squares of puff pastry and gently whipped cream for this take on mille-feuille (French for a thousand layers), or serve them alongside bacon and eggs for a holiday breakfast.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne22/37Dutch Apple Pie
The thing about a Dutch-style apple pie is that it’s like a classic pie, an apple crumble, and an apple crisp recipe all in one. Regarding the latter, yes, that means a crispy, ground cinnamon-tinged streusel topping.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Frances Boswell23/37Apple-Hazelnut Rye Cake
A mixture of all-purpose flour and rye flour gives this apple dessert an earthy, nutty flavor and deep copper hue. If you prefer, you can swap whole grain flour for the rye flour.
Photo by Chelsie Craig24/37Buttery German Apple Cake
This gorgeous cake uses a surprisingly simple method to slice the apples just so: the hasselback method. Make thin, parallel, crosswise slices in each peeled apple quarter, taking care not to cut all the way through, and they’ll stay in one shingled piece.
Photograph by Christopher Testani, Food styling by Victoria Granof, prop styling by Alex Brannian25/37Apple-Rose Pie
Before vanilla extract was widely available, says baker Cheryl Day, rose water was the most popular flavoring in American baking. This apple pie reimagines that lovely floral pairing.
Alex Lau26/37Sesame Oat Apple Crisp
This lower-calorie dessert uses the alternative sweetener Brown Swerve instead of brown sugar. If you’re more of a classicist—and if you love cranberries—try this Cranberry-Apple Crisp With Oatmeal Streusel Topping.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens27/37Naked Apple Tart
The apples at the bottom of the tart are insulated from direct heat, so they steam and soften into a tender layer. The ones up top hold their shape, which means you’ll get a mix of textures in each bite.
Alex Lau28/37BA’s Best Apple Cider Doughnuts
Apple butter is key to the texture and flavor here. Look for it alongside jams and jellies in the supermarket, at farmers markets, or make your own. Then, serve these doughnuts with a mug of hot apple cider.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Samantha Seneviratne, Rebecca Bartoshesky29/37Country Mince Pie
For this throwback to one of our 1970 issues, make our Actually Perfect Pie Crust. It’s infallible, it’s tender, it’s flaky, it’s…well, yes, actually perfect.
Alex Lau30/37Miso Caramel Apple
You want to use white miso for this riff on classic caramel apples. Compared to brown and red misos, white miso is delicate, so it won’t mask the other flavors.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Liberty Fennell, prop styling by Gerri Williams31/37Oatmeal Baked Apples
Calling all our gluten-free girlies: Baked apples are the answer. This one has an old-fashioned oat topping with dried cherries, pecans, and pumpkin and sunflower seeds, but if you want a little Italian flair, try this version with prunes, almonds, and Amaretto.
Gentl & Hyers33/37Apple and Nut-Butter Puff Pastry Tarts
We’re leaning on one of our favorite shortcuts for this one: frozen puff pasty, straight from the supermarket. The rest of the ingredients, save for the fresh baking apples, are already in our pantry (and probably yours, too).
William Hereford35/37Dale Talde's Mickey D’s–Style Fried Apple Pies
With some store-bought roti paratha and a pot of hot vegetable oil, chef Dale Talde re-creates a fast-food favorite version of fried apple pies.
36/37Spiced Bundt Cake With Apple Caramel Sauce
Did you know adding cream of tartar to caramel sauce prevents the sugar from crystallizing? Well, now you do. Drizzle your perfect caramel over a cake and save the rest for passing alongside.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Claire Saffitz37/37Lemon Cake With Fruit
We call this an apple dessert because, as the image shows, we prefer it with apple slices—but really, it’s an all-seasons recipe. It works with pears, stone fruit, and berries, too.
