These six fall baking recipes bring pumpkin, apple and maple to your next afternoon in. There's a chewy cookie, an iced Bundt cake, a caramel-topped apple bar, a baked doughnut, a maple-walnut scone and a pumpkin pie with mascarpone swirls. Pick the one you'd most like beside your next cup of coffee.
Each section links to the creator's full recipe, with a few details to help you choose. You can make one with a friend or save a bake for a quiet weekend at home. If a coffee run is part of the plan, our fall coffee drink guide has ideas to try while you're out.
Brown Butter and Maple Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe by Jenna Barnard of Butternut Bakery.
Brown butter, maple syrup and a cinnamon-sugar coating give these pumpkin cookies their fall flavor. They're made to be dense and chewy, with wrinkled tops and browned edges. Choose these if a plate of cookies sounds more appealing than getting out a cake pan.
Jenna includes notes on butter temperature and flour measurements to help with spreading. Read those before mixing, especially if your pumpkin cookies tend to turn out fluffy. Her recipe makes 11–12 large cookies, so you can plan the plate around the people you're sharing with.
Get the full pumpkin cookie recipe from Butternut Bakery.
Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Maple Icing
Recipe by Sally McKenney of Sally's Baking.
A fluted pumpkin cake with maple icing makes a good choice when you'd rather slice one large bake. Sally's recipe includes several topping options, including the maple icing shown with her plain pumpkin Bundt. You can follow that pairing without adding a filling or extra layers.
Check your Bundt pan size and leave time for cooling before you plan to serve it. This is the longer project in the list, so it fits an afternoon when you can let the cake cool while you do something else. No need to spend that whole time looking through the oven door.
Get the full pumpkin Bundt cake recipe and topping links from Sally's Baking.
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Recipe by Sally McKenney of Sally's Baking.
These bars pair a shortbread base with sliced spiced apples, oat streusel and caramel. Pick them if the part of apple pie you look forward to is the fruit and crumble. Sally includes a store-bought caramel option if you'd rather keep that part of your baking day shorter.
The bars need time to cool and chill before cutting. Make them ahead of the moment you want to put the plate out. If you're planning an apple-picking day with friends, save the recipe before you go and check Sally's apple notes when you choose your fruit.
Get the full salted caramel apple pie bar recipe from Sally's Baking.
Apple Cider Baked Doughnuts with Maple Glaze
Recipe by PJ Hamel, published by King Arthur Baking.
These cake doughnuts use applesauce and boiled cider, with maple glaze as one of the finishes. They bake in doughnut pans, so you won't need a pot of frying oil. Choose them if you'd like a small bake with a glazed top and a cup of coffee on the side.
Boiled cider is a thick cider concentrate, so check the recipe before using the cider from your fridge. PJ also gives a muffin-pan option if you don't have a doughnut pan. The shape and bake time change, and the original recipe explains both.
Get the full apple cider doughnut recipe from King Arthur Baking.
Maple-Walnut Scones
Recipe by Barbara Lauterbach, published by King Arthur Baking.
Maple syrup goes into both the dough and the glaze in these small walnut scones. Their golden tops and pale maple drizzle give you a different choice from the pumpkin and apple bakes above. Pick them for a breakfast plan or an afternoon when you'd like something to set out with tea.
The recipe makes 24 small wedges. Check that size before you start dividing the dough, and follow Barbara's notes on chilling and glazing. A little scone beside your mug leaves room for a second one if that's how the afternoon goes.
Get the full maple-walnut scone recipe from King Arthur Baking.
Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie
Recipe by Kelli Avila of Everyday Pie.
Pale mascarpone swirls run through the top of this pumpkin pie. Kelli adds the cheese to the filling too, along with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Her spelt crust gives you another choice for a fall pie, and she links to other crust options if you have a favorite.
Choose this bake when you can make it ahead. The crust needs to be fully baked before you add the filling, and the finished pie needs at least six hours in the fridge after it cools. That makes it a good one to prepare the day before friends come over.
Get the full pumpkin mascarpone pie recipe from Everyday Pie.
