The fall season is fun for many different reasons! Some people love how the leaves change to those beautiful colors, some love the crisp breeze in the air, and others love all of the incredible events you can participate in during the fall season. But, for us, it’s all about the food! The dessert foods, to be exact! This time of year naturally awakens our culinary senses, allowing us to explore seasonal dessert recipes we might not attempt in the earlier calendar months of the year. There are a lot of directions you can take your cooking exploration this fall season. To help you get started, we have included some seasonal favorites for you to try! Explore each recipe and determine which one speaks to you most. Once you have identified some of your favorites, feel free to add a unique twist to the recipe for a personalized flavor!
Cinnamon Apple Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Filling:
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°. In a bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until blended. Beat in flour, oats, and walnuts until well blended. Press onto bottom and 1-1/2 in. up sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in milk and juice concentrate until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended (mixture will be thin). Pour into crust. Return pan to baking sheet.
Bake until the center is almost set, 40-45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled.
To serve, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; saute apples until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
For the glaze, in a small saucepan, mix cornstarch, cinnamon, and juice concentrate until smooth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon glaze to sauteed apples; toss to coat.
Remove rim from springform pan. Top cheesecake with apples. Drizzle with glaze. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.
Air Fyer Apple Fritters
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup 2% milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
2 medium Honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon 2% milk
Directions:
Line air-fryer basket with parchment (cut to fit); spritz with cooking spray. Preheat air fryer to 410°.In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add milk, eggs, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; stir just until moistened. Fold in apples. In batches, drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls 2-in. apart onto air-fryer basket. Spritz with cooking spray. Cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Turn fritters; continue to air-fry until golden brown, 1-2 minutes.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Carefully cook until butter starts to brown and foam, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to browned butter; whisk until smooth. Drizzle over fritters before serving.
Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups chopped peeled apples
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla ice cream, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half into a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish or a 9-in. square baking pan. Cover with apples.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, water, and vanilla. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thick and clear. Pour over apples. Sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture.
Bake 60-65 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm, with ice cream if desired.
Cinnamon Chip Chai-Spiced Snickerdoodles
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dough:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
1 package (10 ounces) cinnamon baking chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. For spiced sugar, mix the first 6 ingredients.
In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, sugar, and 2 tablespoons spiced sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in baking chips. Refrigerate, covered, until firm enough to shape, about 1 hour.
Shape dough into 1-in. balls; roll in remaining spiced sugar. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake until set, 11-13 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/2 cups canned pumpkin
Filling:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 cup shortening
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the next 6 ingredients; beat into creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets; flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Bake 10-11 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.
For the filling, combine flour and salt in a small saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate, covered, until completely cooled.
In another bowl, beat shortening, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add chilled milk mixture; beat until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. Store in the refrigerator.