23 Comforting Desserts You Can Make With Fall Spices

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Published on September 24, 2023

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

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Marble Spice Bundt Cake — Photo: Ryan Liebe

Toasty cinnamon, zesty clove, pungent allspice and more are packed into these fall desserts. These spices can also provide some anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits. Their fragrance and flavor allow them to make some of the most delicious cakes, cookies and pastries, too. Recipes like our Fresh Apple Cake and Pumpkin Brownies will leave the kitchen smelling like an autumn delight.

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This Fresh Apple Cake Is Perfect for Apple Season

a recipe photo of Fresh Apple Cake — Photographer: Stacy K. Allen; Prop stylist: Julia Bayless; Food stylist: Ana Kelley

Super-juicy apples flavor this mildly spicy fresh apple cake that pairs beautifully with a warm cup of tea. The glaze offers a sweet finish. If you like a thicker glaze, use less buttermilk to thin it. Honeycrisp apples are sweet and slightly tart, but you can use any combination of apples you like, keeping in mind the tarter the apple, the less sweet the cake will be.

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Baked Peaches

a recipe photo of the Baked Peaches — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Torie Cox, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

These baked peaches smell like fall in the summer! The cinnamon and sugar glaze gives a caramelized sweetness in every bite. If you want to take this subtly sweet dessert in a more savory direction, skip the ice cream topping and serve the peaches with a sprig of thyme instead, or sprinkle granola over the baked peaches for a texture similar to streusel.

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Banana Nut Bread

a recipe photo of the Banana Nut Bread — Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food stylist: Ruth Blackburn

Walnuts add crunch and tangy sharpness in this healthy banana nut bread recipe. Use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots, or even black bananas, as they will provide more sweetness. The banana nut bread is tender, with a caramelized crust.

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Vegan Carrot Cake

a recipe photo of the Vegan Carrot Cake — Photographer: Stacy K. Allen. Food Stylist: Ana Kelly, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

This vegan carrot cake recipe with almond flour is packed with carrots, raisins and pecans, which add wonderful texture. Vegan butter and vegan cream cheese combine with rice flour to create a creamy, tangy frosting. Letting the frosting chill in the fridge is crucial so it thickens, giving it a more spreadable consistency.

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Pumpkin Brownies

a recipe photo of the Pumpkin Brownies on a cutting board — Sara Haas

These healthy pumpkin brownies are packed with mini chocolate chips. Warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves pair well with the chocolate for a seasonal twist on a classic dessert. The batter will be thick, so be sure to spread it an even layer for even baking.

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Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding) — Karry Hosford

This capirotada, or Mexican bread pudding, features layers of nuts, cheese, dried fruit and bread drizzled with cinnamon-infused sugar syrup.

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Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

a recipe photo of the Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting in the cake pan with two slices cut and placed on plates alongside forks — Sara Haas

This healthy pumpkin sheet cake is perfectly spiced from the pumpkin pie spice blend, a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. A tangy, sweet cream cheese frosting helps balance the flavors. This cake is perfect for any fall gathering.

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Flaky Apple Pie Bars

Flaky Apple Pie Bars — Jacob Fox

Grab your box of puff pastry for these easy and delicious apple pie bars.

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Maple-Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bread

a recipe photo of the — Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf

This comforting sweet potato bread is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea for breakfast or served with a dollop of maple ice cream or sweetened whipped cream for a light dessert. Be sure not to overcook the sweet potato in the microwave—a dry sweet potato will make the bread less moist.

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This Sweet Potato Dump Cake Has a Crunchy Streusel Topping

a recipe photo of the Sweet Potato Dump Cake — Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf

This lightly sweetened sweet potato dump cake with a crumble topping is similar to a sweet potato casserole but with a firm, cake-like texture. If you can't find a spice cake mix, you can use a vanilla cake mix and add cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

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Pecan Pie Dip with Crunchy Pie-Crust Dippers

Pecan Pie Dip with Crunchy Pie-Crust Dippers

This creamy and subtly sweet dessert is perfect for pecan pie lovers who don't want to go through the hassle of making an actual pie. Serve it with sliced apples and pears to complement the pie-dough dippers.

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Honey Cake

a recipe photo of the Whole Wheat Honey Cake — Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Holly Raibikis

Honey cake is a traditional dessert for the Jewish New Year, but it's also a great loaf to make all year round. Subtly flavored with cinnamon and ginger, it gets its rich color from the addition of coffee in the batter. You can substitute brewed black tea or decaffeinated coffee, if you'd like. Serve with a hot cup of coffee or tea and enjoy!

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Mini Cranberry-Orange Shortcakes with Cranberry Compote & Brown Sugar Crème Fraîche

a recipe photo of the Cranberry Shortcakes served on plates — Ali Redmond

These cranberry-orange shortcakes are essentially a cross between a biscuit and a scone. They make a light base for a rich cranberry compote and a brown-sugar-laced crème fraîche topping. These are designed to be on the small side, since there are usually many desserts on offer on Thanksgiving, but you can make them any size you like, just adjust the baking time accordingly.

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

a recipe photo of the Pumpkin Snickerdoodles on a plate — Sara Haas

Canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice are delicious seasonal additions to a classic snickerdoodle. The spice blend adds warming notes thanks to the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. These healthy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are light and moist, making them the perfect sweet treat.

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Melting Apples

Melting Apples — Jacob Fox

Sweet Honeycrisp apples are cored, drizzled with maple syrup, butter and a hint of cinnamon and baked until tender. Serve with crunchy granola and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Apple Hamantaschen

a recipe photo of the Apple Hamantaschen — Brittany Conerly

Hamantaschen are filled triangular cookies eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Traditional versions are made with a poppy seed or prune filling, but recipe developer Breana Killeen, who lives in Vermont, thought it would be a delicious way to use the apple butter her mother canned one fall.

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Apple Crisp

a recipe photo of the Apple Crisp — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf

Keeping the peel on the apple gives a bit of texture and color to this apple crisp recipe. A topping made from oats and pecans adds nuttiness. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

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Marble Spice Bundt Cake

Marble Spice Bundt Cake — Ryan Liebe

Unleash your artsy side when marbling the light and dark batters together. The latter is fragrant with loads of cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg and gets its color from molasses and espresso powder.

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Air-Fryer Pear Galettes

a recipe photo of the Air-Fryer Pear Galettes — Photographer: Brie Passano, Food Stylist: Greg Luna

Honeyed pears shine in this healthy dessert that comes together in a snap thanks to a store-bought crust. Take these galettes over the top with a spiced whipped topping or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies — Will Dickey

These chewy and moist carrot cake sandwich cookies are packed with carrots, crunchy pecan pieces and chewy raisins and filled with an orange-scented cream cheese frosting. They are rich and satisfying and would pair perfectly with a hot cup of coffee.

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Air-Fryer Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

a recipe photo of EatingWell's Air-Fryer Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls — Jason Donnelly

Don't skip the rise time before air-frying these cinnamon rolls. It helps make them pillowy instead of dense. Raisins and walnuts are packed into each bite of these sweet rolls.

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Baked Pears

baked pears — Photography / Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling / Kady Wohlfarth

These easy baked pears are soft with just a little bite and are perfect with the delicious buttery spiced syrup spooned over the top.

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Sweet Potato Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze

a recipe photo of the Sweet Potato Bundt Cake served on a dish — Ali Redmond

This sweet potato pound cake started out as a way to use up leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner, but quickly became its own reason to make sweet potatoes. The cake gets better as it sits, so it's a great make-ahead candidate for any occasion.

Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, September 2023

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