Fall Baking Recipes to Embrace Cozy Season
The drop in temperature, an abundance of local produce, cozy weekends in… there are plenty of reasons to get baking this fall. Of course, apples and pumpkin are the show stoppers, but maple, ginger, cinnamon, peaches and plums, and chai deserve a chance to shine, too!
Whether it’s bread, cookies, cupcakes, or scones, we’ve put together a list of over 15 fall baking recipes to try next time you feel like whipping up some delicious baked goods.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Apple-Stuffed Pumpkins
Nothing screams fall more than apples and pumpkins. Here, chopped apples are paired with maple syrup and stuffed into miniature pumpkins for the cutest fall dessert.
Ingredients
4 mini-pumpkins
4 large apples, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup granola
Ice cream or whipped cream
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Lightly oil a pan large enough to hold the pumpkins upright.
Slice off the tops of the pumpkins, creating little caps to put on top of the pumpkins once they’re filled. Scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard. Place the pumpkins in the prepared pan.
In a medium bowl, mix the apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and granola. Stuff apple filing into the hollowed-out pumpkins. If they are not completely full, top off with a bit of extra granola.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the pumpkins are tender when pierced with a knife.
Cool slightly on a rack before serving with ice cream or whipped cream. Top with reserved pumpkin caps.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Apple Dumplings with Cider-Cinnamon Sauce
Think of these adorable dumplings as personal apple pies! Make the pastry dough yourself or purchase some to make the recipe even easier.
Ingredients
Apple Dumplings
2 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
6 crisp, tart apples like Granny Smith or Pink Lady, peeled and cored
3 tablespoons butter
Pastry Dough for Apple Dumplings (see recipe below)
Apple Cider-Cinnamon Sauce
1 cup granulated unrefined sugar
1 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter
Pastry Dough for Apple Dumplings
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 375° F.
For Pastry Dough
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or food processor, cut in the butter until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the milk until a soft dough is achieved.
Form the dough into a square, about 1-inch thick and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out as directed.
For the Apple Dumplings and Sauce
Combine the cranberries, hazelnuts, and maple syrup and stuff the center of each apple with the mixture. Top each with a pat of butter.
Roll out the pastry to 1/8-inch thick and cut into 6 squares, about 7 inches each. Place one apple in the center of each square and bring the corners up to meet in the middle. Crimp all the edges to seal well. Place the dumplings in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside while you make the sauce.
Place sugar, apple cider, lemon juice, cinnamon, and remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan and boil for 1 minute.
Pour cider sauce over dumplings. Bake for about 1 hour, spooning sauce over dumplings once or twice during baking. Serve dumplings in dessert dishes with sauce spooned over.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Maple Cinnamon Cupcakes
Sweetened with maple syrup and applesauce instead of refined sugar, these fall cupcakes are a healthier option when it comes to sweet treats.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
2/3 cup soymilk
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
1/4 cup cocoa powder (optional)
Icing
4 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon soymilk
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Insert paper cupcake liners into a medium muffin pan.
In a large bowl, combine the soymilk and vinegar. Let this mixture stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in the maple syrup, applesauce, oil, and vanilla extract. Sift in the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cocoa powder (if you prefer chocolate cupcakes), and mix to a smooth batter. Fill the paper cups two-thirds full and bake 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
To make the icing, cream together margarine, cinnamon, and half the confectioners’ sugar in a bowl, add the soymilk and maple syrup and blend well; then add and blend in the remaining sugar. Ice the cupcakes after they are completely cooled.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Pumpkin Gingerbread
If you’re excited about the holiday baking season, but want to make it a bit more fall, go for this pumpkin twist on gingerbread!
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the spices, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flours.
In a second large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, applesauce, molasses, eggs, vanilla, water, and pumpkin until smooth and well blended. Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and blend well, then pour the batter evenly into the loaf pans.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, being careful not to over-bake. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Peach Ginger Crisp
Sweet, juicy peaches pair with zingy ginger in this late-fall crisp.
Ingredients
5 cups sliced peaches, fresh or frozen (about 6 large peaches)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, minced
1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil or butter an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, toss the sliced peaches with the ground ginger and maple syrup until coated. Place mixture into the baking dish.
Mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and crystallized ginger. Blend in the butter pieces with your fingers or a pastry cutter until crumbly. Spread the topping evenly over the peaches. Bake for about 45 minutes, until peaches are bubbling and the crisp topping is lightly browned. Let the crisp set for 15 minutes before serving.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Plum Kuchen
If your plum tree provided you with more than enough fruit this season, here’s a great way to turn it into a memorable dessert!
Ingredients
For the Cake
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup almond milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 cups pitted, sliced fresh plums
Directions
Heat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9" round cake pan with cooking spray.
In a small saucepan, heat the coconut oil over low heat until it is just melted, and allow it to cool a bit. In a large mixing bowl beat together the eggs, almond milk, and melted coconut oil. In a separate bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and spices; then gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the egg mixture and continue beating until fully incorporated. Fold in the lemon zest and pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan.
Prepare the topping by mixing together the ground almonds, honey, and coconut oil; it should resemble a coarse streusel. Lay the sliced plums on top of the cake batter, and top with the almond streusel. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake
Coffee cake, but make it fall. In-season apples and dried cranberries are paired with oats and whole wheat flour to create a perfectly dense cake meant to be enjoyed with a cup of Co-op coffee.
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup diced apple
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter or oil an 8” x 8” pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, baking soda, salt, spices, and sugar. Stir in the remaining ingredients until just combined. The batter will be very thick. Spread the batter evenly into the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Let cool before slicing.
Photo Courtesy of Sally’s Baking Addiction
Brown Butter Apple Blondies
Soft and chewy with just the right amount of cinnamon-spiced apples, these brown butter apple blondies are finished with homemade brown butter icing.
While you can use any apples for this recipe, we recommend going with an apple on the tarter side: Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or Braeburn.
The recipe author Sally recommends browning the butter ahead of time so that its easier to combine all the ingredients when you go to mix.
Cinnamon Sugar Swirled Apple Butter Bread
Sweet bread is great, but sweet bread is even better with cinnamon sugar swirls and apple butter!
In this recipe from Half Baked Harvest, coconut oil, apple butter, honey, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, and milk are combined with flour, baking soda, and salt to create the batter. Cream cheese and cinnamon sugar are swirled into the batter before being baked.
Once the bread has cooled, top it with honey butter or an extra dollop of apple butter for a delicious fall treat, morning, noon, or night!
Photo Courtesy of Sally’s Baking Addiction
Chai Latte Cupcakes
Tea is always a good choice when the weather turns cold, but there’s something about chai that feels extra cozy.
And if you want to capture a bit of that coziness in the form of a cupcake, this recipe is for you!
Using both chai tea and a homemade chai spice blend, these soft and moist cupcakes are topped with a whipped chai buttercream that brings it all together.
Sweet & Salty Healthier Caramel Apples
Typically, homemade caramel recipes call for a lot of refined sugar.
But in this recipe from Half Baked Harvest, maple syrup and honey are used to create a healthier caramel that’s satisfyingly sweet and salty.
While you can use any apples you have on hand, something on the sweet-crunchy side, like Fujis or honeycrisps, work exceptionally well. And don’t forget the chocolate drizzle!
Apple Brown Butter Bouchons
Bouchons, aka donut muffins, are a well-known item around the Co-op. Insert plug for you to go try our gluten free donut muffins in the Deli ASAP! You can thank us later.
But here, Sylvia of Feasting at Home gives these a fall-inspired twist by adding diced apples to the mix!
Calling for a handful of familiar baking ingredients, these bouchons are deceptively easy to make and even easier to devour.
Photo Courtesy of Once Upon a Chef
Pumpkin Scones
If you don’t take your pumpkin in the form of a latte, or bread, or a cupcake, maybe we can tempt you with a scone?
In this recipe from Once Upon a Chef, traditional scones are pumped up for the fall with the addition of canned pumpkin, pumpkin spices, and molasses.
Finish them off with a pumpkin spice glaze for an extra drizzle of decadence.
Pumpkin Roll
A classic fall treat that’s as moist as it is flavor-filled with aromatic pumpkin spices, you can’t go wrong with a good old-fashioned pumpkin roll.
In this recipe, a quick and easy pumpkin cake is baked up in a jelly roll pan before being filled with a cream cheese frosting and rolled up.
Let it chill in the fridge for a couple hours before slicing and serving.
Find the full recipe at Gimme Some Oven
More Fall Baking Recipes
Pumpkin Brownies from Lil’ Luna
Apple Cheesecake Bars from Joy The Baker
Apple Fritters from Served From Scratch
Pumpkin Spice Donuts from Amanda’s Cookin’
Pecan Pie Bars from The Pioneer Woman
Oatmeal Apple Cookies from JoyFoodSunshine