Whether you picked ’em at the orchard over the weekend or snagged ’em at your local grocery store, you can count on these recipes to put that giant bag of apples to good use.
From breakfast bakes to holiday desserts, there’s no shortage of delicious ways to enjoy the fruit of this season’s harvest. Scroll on to find your new fall favorite!
12. Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream Pie
Freeze ahead of time and add to your fall dessert menu! Layered with cinnamon ice cream, warm apple topping and a graham cracker crust, this no-churn apple pie ice cream cake is rich, creamy and bursting with apple pie flavor!
For the apple topping, apples, cinnamon and lemon juice are cooked into a thick, syrupy sauce and spooned over the cake right before serving. For the ice cream, heavy cream is folded with sweetened condensed milk so there’s no ice cream maker needed!
Best Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream Pie (No Churn Recipe)
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray at 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Process the graham crackers in a food processor until fine. Melt butter in a microwave safe dish. With the motor running on low speed, pour the melted butter through the feed tube until incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture to the springform pan and press down, moving some of the crumbs up the sides of the pan. Press until firm. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
- In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream, 3 Tbsp. sugar and vanilla with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold in the sweetened condensed milk and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon.
- Pour into the cooled crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours.
- Cook the apples, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until thickened.
- Once most of the liquid is absorbed, reduce to low heat and stir in the lemon juice. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Prior to serving, spread apple mixture on top of the ice cream pie. Slice and serve.
11. Instant Pot Apple Butter
Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice give this apple butter warm, cozy flavor. Once it’s cooked down to a smooth, dark consistency, it’s perfect on toast, stirred into cocktails or even baked into muffins and doughnuts! Use it up all season long, as it’ll keep for weeks in the fridge. The best part? Made in the Instant Pot, it’s quick, easy, and it’s gluten free, dairy free and vegan!
Instant Pot Apple Butter
Ingredients
Method
- Peel, core and chop the apples. Place them into the Instant Pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook (Manual) for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then manually release the rest.
- Set the Instant Pot to Slow Cook for 8 hours.
- Allow the apple butter to cool slightly, then use an immersion blender to puree it until smooth. Alternatively, transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Transfer the apple butter to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator.
10. Apple Butter Cranberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
The sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and apple butter add flavor and moisture to these muffins, which are studded with cranberries and topped with a cinnamon-streusel that doesn’t sink during baking. These muffins are perfect for using up a jar of apple butter that’s been sitting in your refrigerator for who-knows-how-long.
Apple Butter Cranberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, milk and apple butter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the cranberries. Fill the muffin tin 2/3 of the way with batter.
- Make the streusel: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir with a fork. Sprinkle streusel on top of the muffins before baking. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool to room temperature before removing from muffin tin.
9. Baked Apple Butter Doughnuts
Use a doughnut pan or a regular muffin tin to make these baked doughnuts. The doughnuts have a moist crumb thanks to the buttermilk and apple butter with a fraction of the fat of a fried doughnut. They’re made with a handful of pantry ingredients and dipped in cinnamon sugar while still warm. Enjoy with coffee on a crisp morning!
Baked Apple Butter Doughnuts
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a doughnut or muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk eggs together with apple butter, 1/2 cup sugar, buttermilk and brown sugar in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Batter will be sticky. Fill a doughnut or muffin pan 2/3 of the way with the batter. Bake for 20 minutes.
- In a shallow bowl, mix the cinnamon and 1 cup sugar together. Allow the doughnuts to cool, then dip into the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
8. Jewish Apple Cake
Use Honeycrisp, Winesap, Fuji, and/or Gala apples. Vegetable oil instead of butter makes this cake dairy-free. It’s moist, rich and delicious, and a great way to start the Rosh Hashanah season! Layers of cake batter alternate with layers of fresh cinnamon-sugar-dusted apples.
Best Jewish Apple Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients – vanilla, eggs, oil and orange juice – to flour mixture. Mix by hand for 5-10 minutes until very thick.
- Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan. If using a bundt pan, arrange apple slices in an overlapping pattern on the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour half of the batter on top of the apples. Layer remaining apple slices and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar, followed by the remaining batter.If using a tube pan, spread half of the batter onto the bottom of the pan. Layer apple slices over the batter. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and top with the rest of the apple slices in an overlapping pattern. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Let the cake cool to room temperature on a wire rack before turning it out of the pan.
7. Apple Butter Cookies with Cinnamon Vanilla Frosting
Apple butter and extra brown sugar make these oversized cookies have a soft, cakey texture that will last for days. They’re perfect for a fall or holiday cookie tray and don’t need to be refrigerated as the frosting is soft at room temperature. Once the cookies are completely cooled, top with a cinnamon vanilla frosting made with real vanilla bean paste.
Apple Butter Cookies with Cinnamon Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
Method
- Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and apple butter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Stir the flour mixture into the apple butter mixture until combined. Cover the dough and chill at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a 3 Tbsp. cookie scoop, place cookie dough 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: Beat the butter until fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the confectioner's sugar, vanilla bean paste and cinnamon. Store at room temperature.
6. Apple Butter Baked Brie Puff Pastry Twists
Apple butter is spread onto puff pastry, then cubes of brie are dotted on top and the pastry is twisted into individual pastries. Rosemary sugar is sprinkled on top, before baking. The rosemary sugar adds an earthy flavor to balance the sweetness of the apple butter and the creaminess of the cheese. These can be served at room temperature, no utensils required, making these perfect for parties!
Apple Butter Baked Brie Puff Pastry Twists (Easy Fall Appetizer)
Ingredients
Method
- Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Roll out the first puff pastry sheet into a larger rectangle. Spread half of the apple butter onto the surface.
- Cut the brie into small cubes. Arrange half of the brie on top of the apple butter.
- Fold the puff pastry sheet from short end to short end. Slice 1" strips from long end to long end. Starting in the middle of a pastry strip, twist the dough out to the ends. Place twists on parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.
- Whisk the egg with 1 Tbsp. of water. Brush the twists with egg wash.
- Combine the rosemary and sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle the twists generously with rosemary sugar.
- Bake 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving.
5. Cinnamon Apple Crisp
Tart varieties of apples like Braeburn, Cortland or Granny Smith hold their shape well when baked, and make a delicious apple crisp. Unlike most apple crisps, this recipe doesn’t have oats in the topping. Instead, it uses a generous amount of butter, and becomes almost like a streusel when baked.
Cinnamon, lemon juice and a little cornstarch add flavor and help thicken the apple filling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
Cinnamon Apple Crisp (No Oats Recipe)
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and lemon juice in a large bowl. Toss to coat the apples in the mixture.
- Pour the apple filling into the prepared baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Sprinkle evenly over the apple mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Cool in the baking dish for at least 20 minutes before serving.
4. Passover Apple Cake
A Passover-friendly alternative to flour, cake meal makes this spongy and deliciously thick apple cake kosher for Passover. Though similar to traditional Jewish apple cake, this cake does not call for leavening.
Brown sugar and additional cinnamon give it a more complex flavor profile than the classic dessert, making it a contender for any seder table. Layers of cake batter are alternated with cinnamon sugar apples.
Passover Apple Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs on medium-high speed. Lower the speed and gradually add the sugars, oil and vanilla, mixing well after each addition. Add cake meal and blend well.
- In a small bowl, toss the sliced apples in half of the the cinnamon sugar mixture. Reserve the other half for sprinkling the top of the cake.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking dish. Smooth batter using a rubber spatula, and arrange half of the apple slices over the batter in a single layer. Repeat with the remaining batter and apples. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the layer of apples.
- Bake for 90 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool in the pan before slicing into squares.
3. Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake
The filling for this apple coffee cake is cooked before being swirled into the batter, so it’s syrupy and soft rather than chunky. Sour cream adds extra moisture to the cake, which makes it a great option for potlucks and other get-togethers since it holds up well for transport.
The buttery crumb topping is a good bit thicker than most, and uses melted butter instead of cold butter, which allows it to stay in place better while baking. It bakes up nice and golden brown. Every bite has a little bit of cinnamon apples swirled into the cake.
Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Bring the apples, 3/4 cup sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon to a boil in a small saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened and apples are very soft, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Blend in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, blend the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until combined. Pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Drop spoonfuls of the apple mixture onto the cake batter. Using a knife, swirl the apple mixture evenly into the cake batter.
- In a small bowl, use a fork to mix all of the topping ingredients together until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the cake layer. Bake 40 minutes.
2. Warm Apple Crostata
Brushing the top of the pastry with heavy cream and sprinkling with turbinado sugar before baking guarantees a beautiful golden color. A flaky, buttery crust, no fussing over crimping edges here, encasing loosely with cinnamon- and nutmeg-spiked apples cooked down to a soft, syrupy sweetness. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Warm Apple Crostata Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt to combine. Cut the cold butter into cubes. Add the butter to the food processor and process until they are the size of peas.
- With the motor running on low, pour 5 Tbsp. very cold water through the feed tube until a crumbly dough forms.
- Remove the dough and press it into a disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar. Stir continuously until the mixture becomes an amber color. Don't worry if it gets clumpy.
- Stir in the apple slices, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are softened.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 Tbsp. of water. Pour the mixture into the apples and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a large circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Spread the apple mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a perimeter of dough about 2 inches.
- Fold and gather the dough in towards the center, slightly overlapping other pieces of dough and overlapping the apple mixture by 1/2 inch.
- Brush the dough with heavy cream. Sprinkle it with turbinado sugar. Bake 50 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet before transferring it to a serving plate.
1. Puff Pastry Apple Dumplings
A drizzle of caramel sauce takes these pastries over the top! Perfect for holidays, these look and taste like they took all day to make from scratch but are so much easier to make.
Cinnamon apples wrapped in puff pastry and topped with a buttery pecan streusel, these pastries are baked until golden and crisp. Using puff pastry from the store makes these super easy, and they bake at two oven temperatures to make them look extra-special.
Puff Pastry Apple Dumplings
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Peel, core and chop the apples.
- Combine cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Toss the apples in the cinnamon mixture. Set aside.
- Roll out the first puff pastry sheet into a large rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 4 equal squares. Use a pastry brush to brush each square with beaten egg. Place a few spoonfuls of the apple mixture in the center of each pastry square. Fold opposite corners in towards the middle, overlapping the corners over top of the apples.
- Brush the outside of each dumpling with the egg wash. Repeat this process with the second puff pastry sheet, so that you have a total of 8 dumplings.
- Coat an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the dumplings in the baking dish.
- Melt butter in a microwave safe dish. Combine the melted butter with the remaining streusel ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the tops of the dumplings. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake an additional 25-30 minutes.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired.
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