With the leaves changing colors and the temperatures dropping, autumn is now underway. The season is perfect for baking delicious fall treats to enjoy and get into the cozy fall spirit. When the oven is on and the wonderful aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg fill the home, it is impossible not to feel at ease. 

Whether you just went apple picking or simply want to bake, here are some delicious and somewhat simple recipes that are sure to catch your eye. Baking is also a great way to spend quality time with friends and family. Plus, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, now is a wonderful time to experiment with dessert recipes that will be sure to wow your relatives.

Here is a list of five top-rated, mouth-watering recipes that wonderfully incorporate the flavors of fall into baked goods.

Recipes With Pumpkin

Pumpkins are a staple in fall-themed food. They are everywhere—on front porches and even in Starbucks lattes. When a recipe calls for pumpkin purée, the canned purée from the store works perfectly fine. However, if you plan on making pumpkin purée from scratch, be sure to use a sugar pumpkin. Sugar pumpkins are round and roughly the size of a cantaloupe. They are sweeter, denser, and have finer-grained flesh, making them the best pumpkins to use when baking.

Pumpkin Pie

A fantastic, fresh pumpkin pie recipe is on AllRecipes.com, written by Randy Scott is completely from scratch and walks you through the process of making it step-by-step. Although it may be daunting to turn a whole pumpkin into purée, this recipe gives clear and easy instructions on how to do it. If you want to further simplify the recipe, you can use store-bought dough and pumpkin purée, but it is totally worth it to make the pie filling from scratch; it balances the flavors of spices and pumpkin just right.

Pumpkin Blondies

NYT Cooking has a heavenly pumpkin blondies recipe created by Everyday Annie that blends the fudginess of a brownie with cozy fall flavors. Every bite is fluffy wonderfulness, with textures varying from nut crunches to gooey chocolate. Everyday Annie recommends switching out the white chocolate chips for butterscotch cookies for even more warmth and adding a scope of ice cream on top.

Recipes With Apples

If you have a surplus of apples that you just need to use up, pretty much any apple variety will work for baking. However, it is recommended to use a mix of both firm, tart apples and sweet, tender apples to create a favorable balance of texture and flavor. A common, firm, and tart apple is Granny Smith; apples like Fuji or Honeycrisp are sweeter and more tender.

Apple Pie

Amy Duska’s apple pie recipe from littlespoonfarm.com is one you will want to try. It is absolutely delectable fresh out of the oven; its flavor is further elevated with a scoop of ice cream. The apples are not too mushy and the spices pair wonderfully with the flavor from the apples. This is a classic dessert that will be excellent with Thanksgiving dinner.

These baked apple cider donuts by Sally McKenny from sallysbakingaddiction.com are a must for any fall event. They are, after all, the classic, sweet treat present at every apple orchard. However, if apple orchards just can’t squeeze into your calendar, these donuts, bringing the nostalgia of past trips, will be coming out of the oven in just one hour. It’s an old-fashioned donut, with a moist, cakey interior, crumbly when you bite into it and bursting with warm spices. The recipe starts with reducing the apple cider, to amplify the natural tanginess of the apple. “These are soooo good! You would think they came from a bakery,” said Jackie Lawlor.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

These snickerdoodle cookies created by Kristyn Merkley from lilluna.com are bound to impress. They have a soft and chewy interior, while being generously coated with rich cinnamon sugar—all created with simple ingredients found in most kitchens. Because these cookies use pantry staples, it is easily accessible for baking. What makes this version extra special, however, is the tanginess coming from the cream of tartar and the crumbliness from the butter. According to Lil’ Luna, the dough doesn’t even need to chill to achieve the perfect rise. Whether you are making these for a cookie exchange or just a sweet treat for yourself, these cookies check all the boxes. They are giftable, freezable, and bring that cozy cinnamon sugar feeling that everyone starts to crave as the weather turns colder. 

From the richness of pumpkin pie to the nostalgic sweetness of apple cider donuts, each baked good is sure to bring the flavors of autumn directly to your kitchen. Worried about how much sugar or butter you are eating in each bite? One benefit of homemade treats is that you can adjust all the ingredients to your liking. Furthermore, all the ingredients are displayed transparently. Feel free to experiment with these recipes in the kitchen and get in touch with your inner chemist. So gather your ingredients, invite a loved one, and enjoy the magic of fall, one bite at a time!