10 Best Apple Recipes for Fall

#1. French apple crumb cake

This French Apple Crumb Cake is easily one of my top 3 favorite cakes of all time. However, I will say that calling it a cake feels a bit dishonest because nothing about this cake is very cakey.

In contrast to more traditional apple cakes, the texture of French Apple Crumb Cake is a delicious cross between apple pie and tart tatin. And the crumb topping is soft, buttery, and as thick as the cake itself. So, if you're a pie and pastry over cake kind of person, this might become your favorite cake.

"I made this for a large family dinner party. I had a lot of apples that needed to be harvested off my apple tree so it seemed like the perfect recipe to try. I was blown away. Not only is the “cake” absolutely beautiful the flavors were so wonderful. It’s a perfect autumn cake full of warm and comforting flavors. I highly recommend and I will be doing this cake again very soon." - Pride

#2. German apple pie

I don't ususally think of pie recipes as being particularly contentious, but this recipe for German apple pie has sparked quite the debate over on Pinterest of all places. The debate centers around whether this is a pie is, in fact, actually German and it goes something like this...

"I'm a German and I've never baked my apple pie like this, nor my mother, nor my grandmother."

"Had pie like this in Pennsylvania Pocono mountains years ago at a motel run by a German couple and have been trying to duplicate it since. This is the closest I've found."

"When I lived in Fulda my neighbor made apple pie just like this."

"Often recipes like this were created or passed down by German immigrants, even if it wasn't something they ate or was traditionally prepared in Germany. So even if the recipe isn't from Germany, it was likely created by a German at some point."

"This is not a German Recipe...here in Germany it is called Galette and is french Appelpie... in Germany we never bake a pie like this!!!

"My grandmother born in1898, whose parents were from Alsace-Lorraine - made a pie similar to this (very tart pie apples coated with flour/sugar and sprinkled with cinnamon and cream or half and half added to about halfway)."

How authentically German is this pie? I'm not entirely sure. What I am 100% sure about is this: This is one of the most flavorful, creamy, and easy to make apple pies I know of.

To make a German Apple Pie you simply toss sliced apples with a mixture of sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cloves, pile them into a pie crust, and pour cream over the whole thing.

As the pie bakes, the cream combines with the sugar and apples to create a rich, smooth, creamy filling that's unlike any other kind of apple pie I've ever tasted.

#3. Apple cobbler with a chewy cookie topping

There are many ways to make apple cobbler but this is my favorite.

The recipe includes saucy cinnamon and clove spiced apples baked under a chewy cookie topping. The gooey brown sugar topping takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes like a soft, buttery sugar cookie.

My favorite way to make apple cobbler is in a cast iron skillet, but the recipe also includes instructions for baking cobbler in a regular baking dish.

"I've now made all three of your cobbler recipes and can't say enough good things about all of them. Everyone loved them! Thank you for showing us how to make people happy!" - Michelle

#4. Apple cinnamon muffins with apple butter and streusel

These tender apple cinnamon muffins are packed with chunks of fresh apples, contain a gooey apple butter center, and are topped with a generous amount of crunchy, buttery brown sugar streusel.

When I started working on this recipe apple butter was not a part of the plan. But, somewhere along the way, I thought a dollop of apple butter in the center was a most delicious idea.

And, it's true. Having apple butter in the center of these muffins rocks. But, I'd be amiss if I told you it was necessary. These babies are already packed with a ton of fresh apple chunks and the spice of cinnamon and nutmeg. Then, they're topped with hunks of buttery brown sugar streusel.

"These came out perfect! I served them to a small group of friends after a little hike on husband's birthday this past weekend. They were delicious, moist, just sweet enough with fresh fruit and mimosas. Thank you!" - Barb

#5. Apple cider cake with apple cider buttercream

This 3-layer Apple Cider Cake is bursting with the sweet-tart flavor of crisp apples. The cake includes concentrated Apple Cider Syrup and shredded sour apples for a double hit of apple flavor and enough cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to make you feel all warm and cozy.

Fill and frost the layers of apple cake with Apple Cider Buttercream and then cover the whole thing with a drippy, bittersweet blanket of Dark Chocolate Ganache.

"Loved making this one....lots of steps, but the instructions make it easy to follow. The finished product looked great and tasted even better." - Vineeta

#6. Salted caramel apple pie

This salted caramel apple pie is a decadent combination of flavors and textures. From the flaky bottom crust to the saucy caramel apple filling and buttery crumb topping, this pie is impressive and indulgent.

It's the pie I want to eat throughout the entire fall season, including Thanksgiving and right up through Christmas.

The pie is as packed with apples as you can get without having them spill out over the sides of the pie plate. Plus, it's topped with buttery, crunchy, brown sugar crumb topping and plenty of Salted Caramel Sauce.

"This is the best, hands down, caramel apple pie I’ve ever tasted. It is a labor-intensive recipe but is well worth it. I made my own salted caramel, strudel, and pie crust rather than using store-bought. My husband loves apple pie and he declares this recipe as the best he’s ever eaten. I’m making it for Thanksgiving and can’t wait til my family tastes it. Thanks for sharing your recipe!" - Punky

#7. Apple fritters with maple glaze

These are the kind of apple fritters you'd get at the very best kind of doughnut shop. They are made from soft yeast-raised dough, flavored with a hint of nutmeg and orange, filled with buttery cinnamon-coated apples, and covered in a crackly maple glaze.

This recipe includes instructions for letting the apple fritters rise overnight so you can fry them up in the morning and enjoy them while they are warm and fresh.

"Dough came together so well and was a pleasure to work with. I really liked that the doughnut wasn’t overly sweet and it paired beautifully with the apple and maple glaze! These were a hit each time I made them!" - Elsa

#8. Apple cinnamon pancakes

How to start your day with a breakfast that's exceptionally warm and comforting on a crisp fall day:

1. Cook some apples with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and brown sugar until they are soft and sweet.
2. Fold all those tender sweet apples into buttermilk pancake batter and pour it into a warm skilled coated with a generous amount of butter.
3. Create a tower of pancakes on your plate (now is not the time for restraint) and top it with more butter and maple syrup.
4. Eat. Smile. Share (if you like). Relax.

#9. Irish apple cake with custard sauce

Irish apple cake is a light and tender vanilla spice cake with a crunchy sugar topping that's loaded with tart, crisp apples. It's on the must-bake list at our house every year on St. Patrick's Day. But honestly, we love it so much that I make it year-round.

The cake is traditionally served with custard sauce (crème anglaise), but whiskey sauce is also a delicious choice.

"I made this with the whiskey sauce! Oh my goodness might be the best dessert we have ever had!!!!" - Meghan

#10. Apple butter and pastry cream hand pies

These buttery little hand pies are filled with almond pastry cream and apple butter. They are flaky, creamy, & packed with warm apple flavor. They are, in my opinion, the perfect little sweet treat because:

• They are not too sweet
• One recipe makes enough to feed a small crowd (or 2 hungry teenagers)
• They include flaky pastry, apple butter, and pastry cream!
• They make a delicious on-the-go hand-held breakfast, lunchbox treat, afternoon snack
• They can be easily dressed up with scoops of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

"One of my favorite things to make when it's apple season!"