Best Fall Desserts

By Food & Wine
Updated March 08, 2017
With pumpkins and apples all ripe for the picking, fall is a perfect time to make some sweet desserts and festive treats. Here is F&W’s collection of sweet pies, tarts and cheesecakes that are perfect for the season. Prepare a batch of these desserts to keep you cozy on a cool fall day.
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Apple-and-Pear Galette with Walnut Streusel

Credit: Con Poulos
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This free-form galette is so much less fussy to make than a traditional pie. It has great flavor and texture from both apples and pears and the crunchy streusel on top. Using unpeeled apples and pears saves time and cuts down on waste.

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Maple-Apple Upside-Down Cake

Credit: © Con Poulos
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The maple syrup in this upside-down treat infuses both the apples and the cake, making the dessert taste like a stack of apple pancakes

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Hand Pies with Pear and Rutabaga

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These hand pies are a curious cross between sweet and savory, featuring rutabaga, a delicious winter root vegetable that is so often overlooked. Combined with the classic pairing of pear and ginger and enclosed by light and nutritious whole spelt pockets, the pies will make an excellent snack, dessert or even side dish.

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Black Mission Fig Clafoutis

Credit: © CON POULOS
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Chef Matthew Accarrino cleverly adds juicy fresh figs to this delicious pancake-like French dessert, then tops it with port-infused whipped cream.

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Gingerbread Pear Loaf Cake

Credit: © KAMRAN SIDDIQI
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This super moist loaf spiked with candied ginger is the perfect tea cake.

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Pumpkin-and-White Chocolate Mousse Pie

Credit: Con Poulos
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This reimagined pumpkin pie from Mr. Holmes Bakehouse in San Francisco has an ethereal pumpkin-and-white-chocolate-mousse filling and a stellar, crunchy crust.

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Apple Cake with Toffee Crust

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This moist cake is served with butterscotch sauce, caramelized apples and ice cream.

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Maple-Bourbon Banana Pudding Cake

Credit: Fredrika Stjärne
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While this delicious, simple cake bakes, a sweet, rich sauce forms in the bottom of the dish.

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Cranberry Streusel Cake

Credit: © Lucy Schaeffer
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Cranberries usually appear on the holiday table as a condiment, but here they flavor a delicious cake, topped with a crumbly, buttery oat streusel.

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Honeyed Fig Crostatas

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This beautiful dessert will wow your guests with its impressive presentation and rich flavor.

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Harvest Cake with Grapes and Sangiovese Syrup

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Sheamus Feeley loves to bake this moist cake at harvest time Sangiovese grapes and grape juice, but any seedless red table grapes and unsweetened grape juice will work.

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Apple-Raisin Pie with Walnut-Cream Cheese Crust

Credit: Kamran Siddiqi
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This flaky, gluten-free pie crust can be used with any fruit filling.

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Hazelnut Tea Cake with Moscato Pears

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Marinating the pears in a semi-sweet wine, like Moscato d'Asti, enhances the fruit's natural sugars and compliments the delicate tea cake.

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Vanilla-and-Cider Panna Cottas with Spiced Ginger Cookies

Credit: © John Kernick
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This cinnamon-and-vanilla-flavored panna cotta combines creamy and tangy flavors for an elegant after-dinner treat.

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Pear-Cranberry Hand Pies

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These flaky little pies may be the ultimate grab-and-go dessert with tart cranberries and sweet pears.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake with Brown-Butter Pears

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Perfect for fall dinner parties, this pumpkin cheesecake is rich, creamy and the ideal end to a meal. Using gingersnap cookies for the crust instead of graham cracker adds a spiced-sweetness to the dessert.

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Apple Tart with Almond Cream

Credit: © Lisa Linder
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The thin, crisp pastry shell is filled with a layer of almond cream made from both finely ground and coarsely chopped nuts that give the tart layers of texture.

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Buttermilk Cake with Riesling-Poached Pears

Credit: © Michael Turek
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Pears are a juicy and beautiful fruit that require little effort. Enjoy serving the fall fruit raw or poaching them in wine, such as the Riesling.

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Baked Custard with Allspice

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Classic and homey baked custard benefits from a dusting of allspice instead of the usual nutmeg. Custards don't get much quicker to prepare than this one.

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Pumpkin-Gingersnap Tiramisù

Credit: © Lucy Schaeffer
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Pumpkin pie meets tiramisù, with layers of pumpkin-mascarpone custard and gingersnaps brushed with Calvados syrup. In the freezer, the flavors and textures meld to form a deliciously creamy dessert.

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Sweet-Potato Meringue Pie

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This dish looks like a pumpkin pie, but the filling is actually made with sweet potato.

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Frozen Maple-Mousse Pie with Candied Cranberries

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Slow-simmered cranberries adds a tart and sweet topping to this frozen pie that tastes incredible and will make your kitchen smell amazing.

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Maple Custards with Sugared Pecans

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Inspired by tocino de cielo, a rich, eggy cousin of flan, this is lighter version of a pecan pie with bold flavors.

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Autumn Apple Buckle

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Buckles, simple streusel-topped cakes studded with fruit, are traditionally made with summer berries. For his autumn version, Jan Birnbaum substitutes tart apples, for a denser, more coffee-cake-like dessert.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Topping

Credit: © Stephanie Foley
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Pastry chef Katherine Beto has three rules for making the perfect cheesecake: Start with all of the ingredients at room temperature, scrape down the bowl to avoid lumps and don't overbeat the batter. The result is a sublimely silky and light dessert that she flavors with pumpkin, cinnamon and cloves and tops with a gooey, buttery pecan praline.

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Pumpkin Cookies with Dried Fruit and Pistachios

Credit: © Alexandra Rowley
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Inspired by the best qualities of holiday fruitcakes, these tender, scone-like cookies get a boozy kick from the brandy in the glaze. To make them more kid-friendly, you can use milk instead.

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Quick Apple Crumble with Lebneh

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The blend of flavors and textures here—crunchy, smooth, nutty, sweet, tart—makes this simple dessert irresistible. Opt for lebneh or another soft fresh cheese that won't melt quickly underneath the warm apples topped with a quick granola crumble.

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