When the apple people first show up at the farmers market, I know fall is here and it’s time to bake all of my favorite apple desserts. My parents have an apple orchard, so these recipes practically run in my veins. Apple season can be gorgeous here in the Pacific Northwest, and our orchards burst with pears, too, this time of year. Apples are one of my favorite fruits to pick, too, because they come off the trees so easily (way easier than berry season!) and in about 20 minutes we’ve got a wagon full of apples. Last time we picked, I came home with 50 pounds of apples!
Fresh Honeycrisps, pink lady apples and blushing Mountain Rose apples (which are pink in the middle!) filled our trunk as we rode home. Filling my mind, though, was which apple recipe I was going to make first! We’d eaten our share of fresh apples as we picked (apologies to the orchard), and now it was time to get in the kitchen and bake some sweet treats with our harvest!
Apple pies are great, but they’re (weirdly) NOT as easy as pie. My apple pie recipe isn’t hard, but if you’re new to baking with apples, you might start with something even easier, like an apple crisp or apple cobbler. Whatever apple dessert calls to you, I promise these recipes will do your fresh apples justice!
Apple Pie
The classic! And everyone’s favorite. Pair with vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of fresh whipped cream. I like to use tart apples so the pie is sweet, but not TOO sweet.
Apple Cobbler
My mother has an apple orchard (way to bury the lede, right?) and this apple cobbler recipe is my best attempt to mimic her delicious apple cobblers. Eat it warm from the oven topped with vanilla ice cream.
Apple Crumb Cake
This is such a cozy apple dessert! I love to bake it and offer it to my kids as an after school pick-me-up. With cinnamon and sour cream, it’s moist and heavenly.
Dutch Apple Pie
Layer upon layer of crisp apple slices, and topped with a crumb topping, Dutch apple pie is my favorite type of apple pie. It’s easier than dealing with a double crust pie, too. Love that!
Skillet Caramel Apple Crisp
Made in a cast iron skillet, it’s caramel-y (of course) and crispy, and baked just long enough for the apples to keep some of their bite. Serve it IN the skillet (on a trivet) for a dinner party dessert with a wow-factor.
Salted Caramel Apple Sundae
Take homemade salty caramel sauce (you’re already drooling, right?) and drizzle it over tender cinnamon-baked apples and huge vanilla ice cream! It’s a serious showstopper of an apple dessert, and SO easy to make.
Apple Cake Donuts with Whisky Glaze
Tart Granny Smith apples, cooked over the stovetop with brown sugar and butter, then tossed into a vanilla-scented batter already sounds great, right? But then IRISH WHISKEY GLAZE puts it over the top.
Apple and Maple Baked Oatmeal
OK, this apple dessert is also welcome on the breakfast table (though they kind of all are, right?). Though if your kids are little enough and still willing to be served healthy things for dessert, try serving it after dinner as a treat!
