You'll Fall in Love with These Absolutely Delicious Apple Dessert Recipes (2024)

You'll Fall in Love with These Absolutely Delicious Apple Dessert Recipes (1)

Apple desserts are simply the best—they range from pies and crisps to crumbles and tarts. While the fruit is the most popular during fall, we'll never turn down the opportunity to bake or dig into an apple dessert. Which should you make first? Start with the Candy Apple Pops, pictured here. Apples are cut into thick slices, then dipped in melted caramel, drizzled with melted dark chocolate, and garnished with sprinkles, chopped nuts, or flaky sea salt. It's a fabulous make-ahead dessert. Try making them during a fall harvest or Halloween party so that kids can decorate each apple themselves.

The best times to bake any one of these desserts is immediately after coming home from the orchard with a fresh bundle of apples. Apple picking season begins in late August or early September and generally lasts through November. There are thousands of apple varieties, which come in a range of colors from bright reds to muted yellows and greens. Textures and flavors vary—from tart and crisp to soft and sweet, you're sure to find an apple dessert recipe here that highlights the variety you love most.

Because apples keep well in cold storage, you can find them at the grocery store year-round. When choosing apples, pick ones that are heavy for their size and feel firm when pressed gently. Always try to avoid bruised fruit. For the longest shelf life, store apples in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator and use them within three weeks.

From here, try sautéing apples for a sweet Dutch baby, which is essentially a giant crowd-friendly pancake that is baked in a cast-iron skillet. Another option is to dice them into cubes, toss with lemon juice and cinnamon, and top with an oat crumble for a no-fuss dessert that's best served warm with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Of course, you'll find recipes for old-fashioned apple pies, layer cakes, and Bundt cakes in the slides ahead, too. Simply put, however you like to enjoy your apples come dessert, we have a recipe here for you.

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Apple Crumble

You'll Fall in Love with These Absolutely Delicious Apple Dessert Recipes (2)

Learn how to make this classic apple dessert recipe for fall—it calls for three pounds of baking apples, which are then tossed with lemon juice, ground cinnamon, sugar, and flour. Top with a buttery brown sugar crumble and bake until bubbling.

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Dutch Baby with Apples and Honey

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Think of this as one giant sweet pancake that the whole family can dig into. For this recipe, we poured the batter in a hot cast-iron skillet then sprinkled sautéed diced apples over the batter. Once it's puffy and golden brown, drizzle with plenty of honey and add a dollop of whipped cream or strained yogurt.

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Apple Rose Tart

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How stunning is this apple dessert recipe, which is one of our food editors' favorites to make for Thanksgiving? To achieve the mesmerizing floral design, thinly sliced apples are shingled in concentric circles and are glazed with apricot jam.

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Caramel Apples

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Instead of bobbing for apples, make this classic kid-friendly apple recipe. Prepare your own caramel sauce using sugar, light corn syrup, and heavy cream, then dip your favorite type of apple in the sauce and garnish with chopped cashews, flaky sea salt, or a drizzle of melted chocolate.

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Apple Pie

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If you're looking for an old-fashioned apple pie recipe, you've come to the right place. Make our basic pie dough, then fill it with a spiced apple mixture and bake until the crust is golden brown.

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Raisin-Challah Apple Betty

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Store-bought raisin challah bread shines in this humble apple dessert. It's cut into large cubes and then tossed with brown sugar, cinnamon, apple wedges, and sliced almonds for a sweet-meets-spiced bite.

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Glazed Apple Fritters

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The sweet white glaze, crunchy golden-brown exterior, and soft and doughy interior make this fried apple recipe one of our all-time favorites for an autumnal snack or dessert (or even breakfast, too).

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Apple-Membrillo Tart

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Membrillo is a paste made from quince fruit and it instantly elevates this otherwise ordinary apple tart, transforming it into a breathtaking dessert or accent to a cheese board.

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Diamond Apple Pie

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Of course, the apple filling in this pie is delicious, but the real magic happens with the crust topping. It's cut into the shape of individual diamonds, which adds a new level of visual appeal that everyone will adore.

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Apple Pie Bread Pudding

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The combination of sweet apples, buttery brioche bread, and a creamy custard forms one fabulous dessert.

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Vegan Apple Pie

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Everyone will be able to enjoy this dairy-free dessert. Our vegan pie crust is made with safflower oil rather than butter and the pie filling is made with a simple combination of assorted apples, fresh lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon.

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Salted Caramel Apple Pie

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Take a basic apple recipe to the next level with a three-ingredient caramel sauce. It's tossed with sliced apples—plus sugar and lemon juice—for an extra-rich pie.

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Quinoa Apple-Pear Crumble

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Our secret to this fruit crumble is using a combination of quinoa flour and all-purpose flour for the topping, which makes it taste extra nutty and produces a fabulous texture.

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Apple-Cider Doughnut Cake

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Learn how to make everyone's favorite orchard treat at home with this apple recipe. But this is no ordinary doughnut—it's one giant, fluffy Bundt cake that's made with apple cider and covered in cinnamon sugar.

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Apple Pie with Pecan Streusel

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Guests will adore these miniature apple pies. Once they dig in, they'll fall head over heels for the butter pecan streusel, which is sprinkled on top of the apple filling in each pie before they're topped with more pie dough.

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Spiced Apple Cake

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Ground ginger and ground allspice are added to the cake batter for this apple recipe, adding an irresistible warmth that is fabulous during fall.

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Apple Pecan Pie

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Can't decide between two beloved pies? Now you don't have to with this genius recipe that pairs an apple and pecan pie together.

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Apple-Cardamom Brown-Butter Dutch Baby

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Bring an extra nuttiness and depth of flavor to this apple dessert with ground cardamom and brown butter.

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Cinnamon-Swirl Apple Slab Pie

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Dozens of miniature apples top this sheet pan apple pie recipe. Dare we say that it's even more family-friendly than a classic pie?

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Vegan Apple Oat Crisp

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Whether you're vegan or not, we guarantee that you'll love this dairy-free apple crisp recipe.

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Apple Cobbler

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This timeless apple dessert recipe may be a labor of love to make, but it's well worth the time spent in the kitchen—and we guarantee everyone who has a taste of it will agree.

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Apple Sundaes with Cider Caramel Sauce

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Ice cream sundaes have never looked so good, thanks to baked apple slices, which are served warm atop a scoop or two of your favorite flavor of ice cream, plus homemade caramel sauce.

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Rhubarb-Apple-Almond Cobbler

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Rhubarb and strawberries seem like a natural combination, but the tart pink vegetable actually pairs so well with sweeter apples. See how they work in tandem in this beautiful cobbler, which is topped with makeshift almond biscuits.

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Apple and Almond Custard Tart

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In this apple recipe, there's almond flavor in both the crust and filling—it's introduced in the form of almond extract in the crust and sliced almonds are folded into the filling.

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Apple-Bourbon Potpies

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Save time by using store-bought, all-butter puff pastry to top these individual apple desserts. It's so much easier and just as flaky and delicious.

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Apple Oat Crisp

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The topping for this apple dessert recipe couldn't be easier. All you need to do is combine rolled oats, brown sugar, and butter for a crunchy, crumbly mixture that tops our four-ingredient apple filling.

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Apple Pie Upside-Down Cake

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No pineapples here! Who wouldn't want a slice of this apple dessert recipe? It calls for both cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon (plus a little bit of brandy) for incredible flavor.

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Apple-Sour Cream Crumb Pie

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Sour cream provides an extra layer of richness and moisture in this apple dessert recipe that marries two beloved treats—a crumb cake and a pie.

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Apple Skillet Cake

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Here, start by caramelizing sliced apples with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in an ovenproof skillet, then add batter on top. It will bake into a puffy, golden dessert that will surely disappear in a flash.

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Apple-Pie Cake

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You can make this delicious, dramatic dessert with just six common ingredients: flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, Granny Smith apples, and a little lemon juice. The brown-sugar crumb mixture serves as the crust as well as the topping.

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Apple Dumplings

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Wrap whole roasted apples in our homemade pâte brisée for these individual desserts. Let them cool just slightly before serving.

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Tarte Tatin

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This traditional French apple tart is made like an upside-down single-crust pie. To achieve the wonderful, caramelized surface that defines this rustic tart, use a heavy-duty cast-iron skillet.

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Apple Layer Cake with Cream-Cheese Frosting

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Layer after layer brings distinct fall flavor to this apple dessert recipe. A combination of coarsely grated and thinly sliced apples are folded into the cake batter just before it's baked.

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Wild-Blueberry-and-Apple Pie

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One of summer's brightest stars—wild Maine blueberries—teams up with autumn's all-star in this apple dessert recipe.

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