TOWAMENCIN– Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. We all recognize that sound – the sound of a leaf crunching under our shoe. The first sign of fall for many of us, it may make us think of some of our favorite fall activities, such as apple picking, Halloween, corn mazes, or a host of others. For me, the outset of autumn makes me think of baking with quintessential fall flavors. As good as the classics, such as gingersnaps or apple pie, may be, there are many more unique and delicious treats that you can easily whip up with a little bit of patience and a whole lot of love. Here are my 10 favorite unique fall desserts. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins (Sally’s Baking Addiction)

Ingredients:

Muffin Batter

• 1 ¾ cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ cup oil
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup milk

Crumb Topping

• ¾ cup flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 6 Tbsp. melted butter

Maple Icing

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 15 muffins, so prepare a second muffin pan in the same manner. Set aside.
• Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together gently, just until combined and no flour pockets remain.
• Spoon the batter into liners, filling them almost full.
• Make the crumb topping: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Stir in the melted butter until crumbs form. Spoon crumbs evenly on top of the batter and gently press them down into the batter so they’re snug.
• Bake for 5 minutes at 425. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21-22 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan as you make the icing. *For mini muffins, bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Make the icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together until combined and smooth. Drizzle over muffins and serve warm. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts (Sally’s Baking Addiction)

Ingredients:

Donut Batter

• 1 ½ cups apple cider
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. apple pie spice (can substitute with a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 egg
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Topping

• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ tsp. cinnamon
• ¾ tsp. apple pie spice
• 6 Tbsp. melted butter

Directions

• Reduce the apple cider: Stirring occasionally, simmer the apple cider in a small saucepan over low heat until you’re left with about 1/2 cup. Start checking at 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc until you have 1/2 cup (120ml). Mine takes about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
• Make the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Whisk the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together. Pour into the wet ingredients, add the reduced apple cider, and whisk everything together until smooth and combined. Batter will be slightly thick.
• Spoon the batter into the donut cavities—for ease, I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about halfway.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. Cool donuts for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter.
• Coat the donuts: Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. Once cool enough to handle, dunk both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then generously in the apple spice topping.
• Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers: keep well covered (tightly) at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Apple Crumb Cake (Sally’s Baking Addiction)

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping

• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 2 sticks melted butter
• 2 ½ cups flour

Cake

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ sticks softened butter
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 ½ cup apple
• ¼ tsp. Cinnamon

Caramel Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 2 Tbsp. warm caramel

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13 baking pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Make the crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter using a fork, then add the flour. Mix and crumble with a fork. Set aside.
• Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. The mixture may look curdled; that’s okay. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
• Toss the chopped apples and cinnamon together.
• Spread the batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Top evenly with cinnamon apples. Top with crumb topping. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon, press the crumb topping tightly down into the cake so it sticks.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
• Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to slightly cool for at least 30-45 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Top with icing, if desired. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Pecan Pie Cheesecake (Delish.com)

Ingredients:

Cheesecake Filling

• 3  8-oz bars softened cream cheese
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ¼ tsp. Salt

Crust

• 1 sleeve crushed graham crackers
• 5 Tbsp. melted butter
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• pinch of salt

Pecan Pie Topping

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp. Cinnamon
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 ¾ cup whole or chopped pecans
• pinch of salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325º and grease an 8″ or 9″ springform pan with cooking spray. Make cheesecake filling: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, then sour cream, flour, vanilla, and salt.
• Make crust: In a large bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Press mixture into prepared pan.
• Pour filling over crust. Wrap bottom of pan in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. (If you want to bake the cheesecake in a water bath, wrap bottom of pan and place in a deep baking pan. Pour in enough boiling water to come up halfway in the baking pan.) Bake until center of cheesecake only slightly jiggles, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Turn off heat, prop open oven door, and let cheesecake cool in oven, 1 hour, then remove aluminum foil and refrigerate cheesecake in pan until firm, at least 5 hours and up to overnight.
• Before serving, make pecan pie topping: In a nonstick skillet over low heat, melt butter and brown sugar until bubbly (keep heat low to avoid burning butter). Stir in cinnamon, heavy cream, pecans, and salt until completely coated, then remove from heat and let cool and slightly thicken. (You can make the topping up to an hour in advance and keep at room temperature; don’t refrigerate, as the butter will solidify.)
• Release springform pan from cheesecake and spoon over cooled pecan pie topping. Serve.

Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread (Delish.com)

Ingredients:

Bread

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 16. oz can refrigerated biscuits, halved lengthwise
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ½ tsp. pure vanilla

Glaze

• ¼ of an 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ tsp. pure vanilla
• ¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ cup milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° and butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Pour sugar and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice into a large resealable plastic bag and shake to combine. Add biscuit pieces to bag 2 or 3 at a time, seal, and shake until coated. Set coated biscuit pieces aside on a plate and repeat with remaining pieces.
• In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin puree, vanilla, and remaining teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Slather pumpkin filling on a biscuit, then top with another biscuit and slather with more filling. Repeat until you’ve created a stack of biscuits (or two stacks of biscuits).
• Place biscuit stack on its side in prepared pan, so you see layers of pumpkin filling.
• Bake until biscuits are golden and puffed, 38 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly, then turn out onto a plate.
• In a large bowl using a hand mixer on low speed, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice and mix until combined, then gradually add milk and beat until it’s a pourable consistency.
• Drizzle glaze over pull-apart bread before serving.

Classic Sweet Potato Pie (Delish.com)

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1 ½ cup flour
• ½ cup butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• ½ Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 4 Tbsp. ice water

Filling

• 1 15 oz. can sweet potato pie puree
• 1 14 oz. can condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ¼ tsp. salt

Directions

• Make crust: Place flour and butter into freezer for 30 minutes before starting crust process.
• In a large food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until pea-sized and some slightly larger pieces form. With the machine running, add vinegar, then ice water into feed tube, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough starts to come together and is moist but not wet and sticky (test by squeezing some with your fingers). Mixture will be crumbly.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, form into a ball, and flatten into a disk (making sure there are no/minimal cracks).
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is very cold, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”-x-1.5” pie dish with cooking spray.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 12” circle. Drape over pie dish and gently press to fit (don’t stretch). Prick bottom with a fork, trim edge to 1”, tuck overhang under itself, and make a scallop print around the edge with the tip of your spoon. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 10 minutes.
• Line crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Blind bake 10 minutes, then remove parchment and weights. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sweet potato puree, condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, spices, and salt until smooth.
• Pour sweet potato mixture into par-baked crust. Bake until filling is slightly jiggly in the middle and crust is golden, 60-65 minutes. Cool in turned off oven with door propped open for 1 hour, then cool completely on a wire rack.
• Top with mini marshmallows. Broil or torch until golden.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars (Delish.com)

Ingredients:

Crust

• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup softened butter

Cheesecake

• 3 8-oz. blocks cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup, plus 2 Tbsp., divided
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 3 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
• ½ tsp. cinnamon

Streusel

• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup oats
• ½ cup softened butter
• ½ tsp. cinnamon

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9-x-13” baking pan with parchment paper.
• Make crust: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add butter and use your hands, or a pastry cutter, to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it’s crumbly and moist. Press into prepared pan and set aside.
• Make filling: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluff. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt. Pour over the crust.
• In a small bowl, toss together apples, 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Make streusel topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, sugar, flour and oats, then cut in butter with a fork or pastry cutter.
• Scatter apples on top of the cheesecake mixture, then top with oat mixture.
• Bake until the cheesecake is only slightly jiggly in the center, about 55 minutes. Let cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Before serving, drizzle with caramel sauce and slice into squares.

Butterbeer Pie (Delish.com)

Ingredients:

Pie

• 2 14 oz refrigerated pie crusts
• 1 ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 3.4 oz package instant butterscotch pudding
• 1 ½ cup cold milk
• ¼ cup caramel

Marshmallow Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup marshmallow creme

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll one pie crust and drape over a 9-inch pie plate. Fit crust to plate, crimp edges, and prick bottom all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, about 18 minutes. (If crust begins to brown too fast, cover edges with foil halfway through.)
• Meanwhile, cut out a lightning bolt shape from second pie crust and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let both crusts cool.
• In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form, 6 minutes. In another large bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk. Let stand until thick, then fold in caramel and whipped cream until combined.
• Spoon mixture into cooled pie crust and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.
• In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form, 6 minutes, then fold in marshmallow creme.
• Spread whipped cream on top of pie and place lightning bolt in center. Decorate with gold sprinkles before serving.

Pumpkin Pie Cake (Delish.com)

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Filling

• 2 15 oz. cans pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ⅔ cup evaporated milk
• ½ Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

Yellow Cake

• 2 sticks room temperature butter
• 2 ½ cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp. Pure vanilla
• 1 cup whole milk

Directions

• Make Pumpkin Filling: Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl until smooth, then set aside while you make the cake layer.
• Make Yellow Cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9″-x-13″ pan; set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated, scraping between each addition. Beat in vanilla.
• Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter-egg mixture, beating until just combined. Scrape down sides and add half the milk. Beat until combined, then repeat, alternating with the flour and milk, ending with the final 1/3 of the flour.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing with an offset spatula or a kitchen knife. Pour pumpkin filling over the center of the cake and smooth (it can reach the sides, but the best results are when some cake batter still shows). Bake until the cake is golden brown and the pumpkin filling no longer jiggles in the center, 70 to 75 minutes.
• Let cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (Delish.com)

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1 log refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough

Filling

• 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup chopped Reese’s

Ganache

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 ¼ cup chocolate chips
• ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
• Reese’s Pieces

Directions

• Make Cookie Crust: Preheat oven to 375° and spray a 9″ pie plate with cooking spray. Press peanut butter cookie dough into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake 14 minutes. Let cool slightly, then use a measuring cup to press down dough so it forms a crust. Refrigerate while you make filling.
• Make Filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a bowl and wipe bowl of stand mixer clean.
• In bowl of stand mixer, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in whipped cream and Reese’s until combined.
• Add mixture to prepared pie crust and smooth top. Freeze 30 minutes until peanut butter layer is firm.
• Make Ganache Topping: Bring heavy cream to a simmer. Turn off heat, add chocolate chips and whisk until combined. Spoon chocolate on top of the peanut butter pie.
• Warm peanut butter in microwave for 20 seconds. Stir, then dollop small spoonfuls onto chocolate ganache layer. Gently drag a toothpick or butter knife through topping, creating a marbled effect.  
• Around edge of pie filling, place a ring of Reese’s Pieces. Refrigerate until firm, 2 to 3 hours.

Enjoy!