The 14 best fall recipes to bake in October
It's officially baking season again — here are the cakes, cookies, and breads you need to make.
What do jobs, school, sports practices, and commuting have in common? They all prevent us from baking as much or as often as we’d like. But when we do get the chance, we want a slam-dunk recipe — or 14. Here’s a list of our favorite fall recipes we’ll be making this month: from cinnamon-stuffed muffins to spooky fudge brownies to a vibrant pink cake that will brighten the grayest day.
1) Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Forget what the calendar says: Fall hasn’t officially begun until you’ve had your first pumpkin dessert of the season. These cakey, spiced pumpkin cookies are generously studded with chocolate chips and finished with stripes of glaze, and they’re a great way to get into the autumnal spirit.
Get the recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Shop the recipe: Cinnamon, Ginger, and Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Fudgy-Chewy Pumpkin Cookies, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies
2) Stuffed Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
It can be hard to get out of bed some mornings. But what if you knew a batch of these muffins awaited you? Their sugary streusel topping and secret cinnamon filling are all you need to entice you into the kitchen, no matter how early it is.
Get the recipe: Stuffed Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Shop the recipe: Baker’s Cinnamon Filling Mix and Cinnamon Sweet Bits
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Doughnuts Muffins, Apple Muffins
3) Maple Cornbread
For a quick, easy bread to serve alongside supper, there’s always cornbread. This simple version gets some extra shine with the addition of maple syrup, which makes it slightly sweet (though certainly nowhere near dessert). Leftovers — if there are any — make an excellent side to lunches all week.
Get the recipe: Maple Cornbread
Shop the recipe: Vermont Maple Syrup
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Skillet Cornbread, Sourdough Cornbread
4) Apple Crumb Cake
This cake has some tricks up its sleeve: Hidden beneath a topping of sweet streusel is a jammy layer of spiced baked apples, and it all sits atop a sour cream-enriched vanilla cake. Reviewers have praised this cake for being not too sweet and intensely flavored — it’s equally welcome at breakfast or dessert.
Get the recipe: Apple Crumb Cake
Shop the recipe: Vermont Boiled Cider
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting, Whipped Caramel Apple Cake
5) Sweet Potato Biscuits
It’s sweet potato season! Celebrate by adding them to flaky, buttery biscuits. These golden-hued biscuits are equally at home alongside a savory stew as they are paired with sweet maple syrup-spiked butter.
Get the recipe: Sweet Potato Biscuits
Shop the recipe: Vietnamese Cinnamon, Ginger, and Allspice
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Pumpkin Cheddar Biscuits, Caramelized Onion Sourdough Biscuits
6) No-Knead Harvest Bread
For maximum flavor — and not-so-maximum effort — turn to this artisan-style bread recipe. It’s incredibly hands-off (just 15 minutes active time!) and yields a loaf packed with whole grains, dried fruit, and nuts. Using bread flour in the dough guarantees this loaf will rise nicely and offer satisfying chew.
Get the recipe: No-Knead Harvest Bread
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
If you like this recipe, you may also like: No-Knead Everything Bread, No-Knead Chocolate-Cherry Pecan Bread
7) Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts
Apple cider doughnuts get all the love this time of year, but we’d like to make the case for these easy pumpkin cake doughnuts, too. Even though they’re not fried, tossing the baked doughnuts in cinnamon sugar adds a crunchy, sugary coating to the outside. Add a little pumpkin pie spice to the sugar for even more fall flavor.
Get the recipe: Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts
Shop the recipe: Pumpkin Pie Spice
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Apple Cider Baked Doughnuts with Maple Glaze, Maple Doughnuts
8) Pistachio Cake with Pomegranate Glaze
This gorgeous cake will stun with its pale green hue and pretty pink glaze. It’s not all looks, though: The pistachio-flecked, rose water-scented cake is tender, moist, and bursting with vibrant Persian flavors. Recipe developer Tannaz Sassooni serves it a part of her Iranian Jewish Rosh Hashanah seder, in which pomegranates play a symbolic role, though it would be at home on any celebratory table this month. (Find more Rosh Hashanah recipes here.)
Get the recipe: Pistachio Cake with Pomegranate Glaze
Shop the recipe: Rose Water
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Rose-Pistachio Cookies with Cherries and White Chocolate, Pistachio Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
9) Pumpkin Challah
This soft, squishy challah gets its warm golden glow and subtle autumnal flavor from pumpkin purée. Coiled into a simple spiral, it would make a lovely centerpiece at the Rosh Hashanah table or just a perfect bread to bake all autumn long.
Get the recipe: Pumpkin Challah
Shop the recipe: Vietnamese Cinnamon
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Classic Challah, Harvest Apple Challah
10) Just 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies
When an uncontrollable cookie craving strikes, make this recipe. It yields four perfectly sized chocolate chip cookies that are crisp around the edges and soft in the centers — and are ready in just 30 minutes.
Get the recipe: Just 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies
Shop the recipe: Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Supersized, Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies, Small-Batch Cinnamon Rolls
11) Stuffed-Crust Pizza
Ditch the takeout and enjoy stuffed-crust pizza made at home. Despite its maximalist appeal, this pizza is easy to pull off — simple fold the edges of the pizza dough over a ring of seasoned string cheese. The result is a gooey tunnel of cheese hidden in the crust of every slice.
Get the recipe: Stuffed-Crust Pizza
Shop the recipe: ‘00’ Pizza Flour
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Artisan No-Knead Pizza Crust, Stuffed Pizza
12) Easy Pumpkin Bread
Super-moist and packed with flavor, this simple quick bread is one of the best ways to bake with pumpkin this month. The batter is mixed by hand and comes together all in one bowl, cutting down on time and dishes. The recipe makes two loaves — enough for you to share one and keep one for yourself — but the recipe can be halved if you only want one loaf.
Get the recipe: Easy Pumpkin Bread
Shop the recipe: Nutmeg
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Bread, The Most Pumpkin Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
13) Maple Pecan Sourdough Scones
These sourdough scones have a rich, buttery flavor; a soft, cakey interior; and golden, crisp edges. The sourdough discard lends a slight aromatic tang, while the thick salted maple glaze pairs perfectly with the toasted pecans.
Get the recipe: Maple Pecan Sourdough Scones
Shop the recipe: Vermont Maple Syrup
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Maple Bacon Scones, New Hampshire Maple-Walnut Scones
14) Spider Web Brownies
If Halloween has you loving all things ghoulish, Spider Web Brownies are a quick and delicious way to look like you spent ages decorating. A little cream cheese gives this twist on our Fudge Brownies a look that’s creepy-crawly without being over-the-top.
Get the recipe: Spider Web Brownies
Shop the recipe: Double Dark Cocoa Blend and Espresso Powder
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Mummy Hand Pies, Spider Web Cheesecake
Looking for more apple bakes? See our 16 best apple recipes for fall baking.
Cover photo and food styling by Liz Neily.
Additional contributions from Jessica Battilana.
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