There is an apple recipe for everyone. For the purists, there are griddled pies and fruit-filled muffins. For the non-traditionalists, there are caramel frosted cakes and fry-inspired breads. And for apple lovers who hate cinnamon? Well, there are care cakes and hand pies. Ready to start baking with the best fall fruits? Read on.
Photography by Patrick Marinello; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
1) Whipped Caramel Apple Cake
There's no shortage of apple in this cake—the applesauce keeps things moist, while the mulled cider adds a tangy, delicious fruity flavor. The cake is great on its own, but pair it with something light and creamy Whipped Caramel Frostingand you have an irresistible baked version of a caramel apple (without any fear for your teeth).
Get the recipe: Whipped Caramel Apple Tart
Buy the recipe: Vermont Mulled Cider
Photography by Patrick Marinello; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
2) Small apple tarts for two
You only need one apple (and two people hungry for an apple treat) to make a pair of these adorable galettes. Half of the apple is sliced, while the other half is grated, which creates a hidden layer of jam under the shingles slices. Flaky fruit tarts don't get any easier (or cuter!) than this.
Get the recipe: Small apple tarts for two
Buy the recipe: Apple Pie Spice
Photography by Patrick Marinello; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
3) Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
The classic snickerdoodle is dressed up for fall by tossing in Apple Pie Spice for cinnamon and adding a dollop of mulled cider—one of our favorite ways to add concentrated apple flavor to fall baking. These soft, chewy cookies may rival apple cider donuts as your new favorite fall dessert—so plan on making a double batch.
Get the recipe: Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
Buy the recipe: Jumbo cookie scoop AND Apple Pie Spice
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
4) Old Fashioned Apple Tart with Brown Sugar Frosting
This super easy one-bowl cake is topped with chopped apples and walnuts, which give this moist and spiced cake weight and texture. The frosting, similar to a brown sugar velvet, adds a textural contrast and an extra dimension of richness.
Get the recipe: Old Fashioned Apple Tart with Brown Sugar Frosting
Buy the recipe: 9″ x 13″ pan.
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
5) Fresh Apple Cinnamon Scones
Cinnamon and apples go together like a flannel and a bean, but this recipe brings that perfect combination together with the addition of cinnamon chips. Diced apples and cinnamon-sugar-melted pockets are also wrapped around these fall berries, which are then finished with a super-crisp sugar coating.
Get the recipe: Fresh Apple Cinnamon Scones
Buy the recipe: Sweet cinnamon sticks
Photography by Kristin Teig; food styling by Liz Neily
6) Babka apple pie
Ribbons of cinnamon-flavored apples are twisted throughout this amazingly rich bread. Beautiful to look at (and easier to make than you think), this braided babka would be a welcome addition to any Rosh Hashanah table or fall celebration.
Get the recipe: Babka apple pie
Buy the recipe: Baker's Special Milk Powder
Photography and food styling by Kristin Teig
7) Secret Ingredient Apple Pie
Spoiler alert: The eponymous secret ingredient in this special pie is mulled cider! Made by cooking apple cider into a concentrate, a few drops give a great apple flavor. When used in apple pies, it infuses with delicious fruitcake flavors, giving a pie with the ultimate in apple goodness.
Get the recipe: Secret Ingredient Apple Pie
Buy the recipe: Boiled cider
Photography by Kristin Teig; food styling by Liz Neily
8) Apple cake
If your go-to donut is an apple fritter, this cake pop is for you. The dough is made using reverse creaming techniquewhich provides a velvety crumb and soft texture. In each slice, there is a filling AND top with cinnamon dusted apples and a final drizzle of icy white vanilla glaze. One piece rivals anything you can get at your local donut shop.
Get the recipe: Apple cake
Buy the recipe: Instant Clear Gel
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
9) Bake french toast with apples
Put your stale bread to good use in this French Toast Casserole. Custard-soaked bread and diced apples can stay in the fridge for up to two days, so it's the perfect make-ahead breakfast. Once you're ready to eat, simply pop the pan into the oven and the aroma of cinnamon, apples and butter will fill your kitchen in no time.
Get the recipe: Apple French Toast
Buy the recipe: Vermont Maple Syrup
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
10) Apple Muffins
These apple-filled muffins come together in just over half an hour, making them perfect for a quick breakfast or a sweet after-school snack. A few additions make these better than your basic muffins: whole wheat flour for nutty flavor, plus buttermilk for lift and flavor.
Get the recipe: Apple muffins
Buy the recipe: Golden wheat flour
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
11) Classic Apple Crisp
When you want a quick fruit dessert, you can always count on chips – no twists, no breaks and most importantly, no special equipment required! This fruit is made with a handful of basic baking products, so when you find yourself with a surplus of apples, dessert is barely an hour away.
Get the recipe: Classic apple crisp
Buy the recipe: 9″ square pan.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
12) Apple Tart with Sugar Crust
At this time of year, apples don't need much to make them shine. The paper-thin, crunchy top layer of this cobbler highlights the juicy fruit underneath. It doesn't need much embellishment, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream never hurts.
Get the recipe: Apple Cobbler Tart with Sugar Crust
Buy the recipe: Vietnamese cinnamon
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
13) Pocket pie with sausage, apple and cheddar
If you thought apple pies were always sweet, think again. Sausage, cedar and apple are a winning combination – the sweet fruit offsets the richness of the meat, cheese and flaky pastry.
Get the recipe: Pocket pie with sausage, apple and cheddar
Buy the recipe: Better Cheddar cheese powder
Photography by Rick Holbrook, Food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
14) Apple Butter Apple Galette
If you're looking to stray from classic apple pie territory, this galette stays true to those roots but adds some modern twists. It starts with a whole wheat crust with butter enriched with a little sour cream. Then, a layer of apple butter (which can easily be made by cooking applesauce) is spread under a layer of artfully arranged apple slices.
Get the recipe: Apple Butter Apple Galette
Buy the recipe: Carbonated sugar
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
15) Apple cake with mostly apples
there are only enough dough to hold together a pile of sliced apples in this particular cake. Lightly sweetened with brown sugar and fragrant with almond extract, this minimalist cake is greater than the sum of its parts—a sophisticated and delicious cake that's remarkably simple to make.
Get the recipe: Apple cake with mostly apples
Buy the recipe: Almond extract
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
16) Cinnamon-Apple Pulled Bread
This pull-apart bread is as fun to make as it is to eat. After rolling out the dough into a rectangle, it is coated with candied apple filling. The dough is cut into several strips, then gathered and pressed into a pan. It is baked in a loaf consisting of distinct slices of bread filled with an apple pillow that you can easily tear from the bread.
Get the recipe: Cinnamon-Apple Pulled Bread
Buy the recipe: SAF instant peak
Looking for more fall baking inspiration? Check out our collection of recipes Fall favorites.
Cover photo (Whipped Caramel Apple Tart) by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
