Fall baking just hits different, doesn’t it? I’m talking about cozy, cinnamon kissed everything, and today I’ve rounded up 24 apple desserts that are pure Thanksgiving magic. From gooey caramel situations to rustic, flaky pastries, there’s a sweet little something here for every kind of apple lover at your table.
1. Apple Crisp with Cranberries and Walnuts
This delicious crisp features a triple dose of fall goodies! It's bursting with apples, cranberries, and walnuts, so every single bite is sweet, tart, and just a little bit nutty. A total texture and flavor party.
2. Apple Pomegranate Cobbler
Apple cobbler is already a classic Thanksgiving treat that's easy and totally scrummy. But this version? It takes things up a notch. It's extra colorful and extra tasty while still keeping all those classic cobbler traits you love. I'm talking a fruity sauce, chunks of fresh apples, and that fluffy biscuit topping. Instead of your usual apple cinnamon vibe, this one brings pomegranate into the mix, and it is so good.
3. Apple Cake
This gorgeous cake is absolutely loaded with fresh apples and fragrant spices. The texture is fabulously moist, almost to the point of being dense, and every single forkful is mouthwatering. It gets finished with a homemade caramel sauce that will probably change your life. Honestly, this might just become a holiday staple in your house.
4. Apple Bourbon Pot Pie
If your favorite part of apple pie is the filling, you're going to fall hard for this fun dessert. It's apple pie with a twist! Like a pot pie, this dessert is made mostly of that delicious filling, and it's topped with a super buttery pastry crust. Instead of chicken and veggies, this one is filled with cinnamon apples, plus bourbon and apple cider to boot. Delicious!
5. French Caramel Apple Cake
Ooh la la! This French inspired apple cake will whisk your tastebuds straight to dessert nirvana. It features silky caramel, soft cinnamon apples, and sweet vanilla cake. Each part is great on its own, but when you put them all together? Totally irresistible.
6. Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Oh, friends, I am so excited about these. I'm kicking things off with a batch of apple pie bars that are dangerously delicious and totally decadent. Imagine layers of tender apples, warm butter, cozy cinnamon, and gooey caramel all stacked together. It all starts with a homemade shortbread crust that's buttery and flaky. Then I pile on fresh apples tossed with flour and spices, and honestly, they're as addictive as it gets.
7. Apple Cream Pie
This pie is exactly what it sounds like, and it is glorious. I'm talking cinnamon, sugar, and flour dusted apples baked right in cream. I don't know about you, but to me, that sounds delicious! The end result is a fabulously creamy, apple custard like pie that's best served cold.
8. Caramel Apple Clafoutis
A clafoutis is technically a type of baked flan. But it looks and tastes just like a soufflé with fruit. It's almost as if a soufflé married a cobbler, and honestly, it's super scrummy. The edges are puffy and light like a pancake, but the center is soft and pudding like.
9. Easy Apple Pandowdy
I consider myself a pretty experienced baker, but I only recently learned about the pandowdy. It's an old fashioned fruit dessert that reminds me of a cobbler or a crisp. It features a saucy fruit base, and it's topped with pastry dough, usually a shortcrust.
10. Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies
Skip the drive thru and make these delicious hand pies at home, because homemade is always better anyway. These bad boys are brimming with caramel and apples. Plus, the crust is stellar, and there's even more caramel drizzled on top. Yes, please.
11. Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Be careful with these, okay? They're sinfully delicious and highly addictive! The crust is flaky, sweet, and wonderfully tender. Then comes that cheesecake filling. I am telling you, this filling is so smooth it's practically like velvet. Luscious, sweet, and absolutely to die for.
12. Apple Tarte Tatin
This topsy turvy tart is probably the original inspiration for the upside down cake. It features apples caramelized in butter and sugar, all topped with flaky pastry, which makes it such a treat after a holiday feast. Of course, you prepare it upside down, so you don't get to see the magic until you flip it over.
13. Spiced Apple Upside Down Cake with Bourbon Caramel Glaze
This is not your typical spiced apple cake! This one is all grown up and way more delicious, thanks to that bourbon caramel glaze. Every single bite is rich, moist, and seriously decadent. You are going to love it.
14. Rustic Apple Galette
Meet the original pie, the galette. It isn't fussy, it's totally delicious, and it's beautiful in its simplicity. You could make a galette with any fruit, sure, but this apple version is perfect for fall. You'll start by making a simple pie dough, though you can absolutely grab a pre made one if that's easier.
15. Apple Bread Pudding
Bread pudding is simple, rustic, and easily one of my favorite desserts ever. Soft, chewy, moist, and wonderfully sweet without being overpowering. That's what makes it a carb lover's dream. Plus, it's super easy to make because it's practically a dump and bake kind of dessert.
16. Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
This apple and cream cheese cake is scrum diddly umptious, and that is nothing bundt the truth! Between the moist apple cake, the cheesecake center, and that luxurious cream cheese frosting, I am drooling just thinking about it.
17. Rustic Skillet Apple Pie
Apple pie without all the fuss? Sign me up! I love a classic apple pie, but making one completely from scratch? That lattice crust is no joke. This rustic skillet version gives you all the homey goodness you crave with way less stress, and I am so here for it.
18. Maple Apple Upside Down Cake
Speaking of upside down cakes, let me introduce you to this beauty! Everything about this vegan apple cake is tantalizing, from that tender texture to the rich maple caramel topping. You'll absolutely love how easy it is to serve because no fancy decorations are required.
19. French Apple Rose Tart with Frangipane
If you loved the idea of apple roses but want something bigger, check out this scrumptious tart! It's bigger, sweeter, and maybe even yummier than the rest. It all starts with a sugar cookie crust. And that frangipane filling is a wonderful touch too. Nutty, sweet, and super custard like.
20. Glazed Puff Pastry Apple Roses
I know Thanksgiving gets crazy busy, but you have got to make time to stop and smell the apple roses! Yes, apple roses! They're sweet, light, and super tasty. They might just be the most stunning holiday dessert you'll ever make. And luckily, they're crazy easy to recreate, which is a total win.
21. Apple Pie Ice Cream
Who needs a slice of pie when you can just have it à la mode in a bowl? This incredible recipe features cinnamon ice cream, chunks of soft apples, and crunchy graham crackers. It's so flavorful and the texture is totally tantalizing. All you need is a little drizzle of caramel sauce on top.
22. Apple Cobbler
If apple crisp is the star of the midwestern table, apple cobbler reigns supreme in the south. It's another iconic dish that just screams fall. This classic comes together with saucy cinnamon apples and a buttery biscuit topping, and it is every bit as cozy as it sounds.
23. Sharlotka (Russian Apple Cake)
This easy dessert is so full of apple flavor and so delicious, you will not be able to stop eating it! At least, I really struggle to control myself around Sharlotka. This Russian treat is incredibly light and airy. Trust me when I say you'll want to make extra because this apple cake will go fast. Luckily, you only need six simple ingredients to make it, and you probably already have them in your kitchen!
24. Apple Dumplings with Browned Butter Salted Caramel Sauce
These little beauties are basically a love letter. I'm talking whole apples stuffed with cinnamon sugar and wrapped snugly in pastry. You bake them until they're luscious, caramelized, and just a little bit nutty from that amazing brown butter. Pure heaven on a plate. Go ahead and serve them with caramel ice cream, and you can thank me later.