The Best Apple Desserts

When the air turns crisp and the market's piled high with apples, this is the list I bake from. Everything from a cozy weeknight crisp to a proper holiday pie, plus the cakes, bars, and cookies in between. Here's my whole apple lineup in one place.

At a glance

A quick word on the best baking apples

For almost everything here, reach for firm, slightly tart apples that hold their shape, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or a mix. They keep their bite instead of collapsing into applesauce, and the tartness balances all that sugar. Skip soft apples like Red Delicious for baking.

The classics: pie and crisp

Start here. My sit and stay awhile apple crisp is the cozy, no-fuss one with a crunchy oat topping (it's the recipe I make most). When you want the real showstopper, apple pie for your soul is the classic, and my apple cranberry crumble pie brings a tart holiday twist that's gorgeous on a Thanksgiving table.

Cakes and bars for a crowd

Feeding a group? My apple cinnamon texas sheet cake is enormous, tender, and always the first thing gone. Ina Garten's apple pie bars give you all that pie flavor in an easy-to-cut bar, and my apple cheesecake bars layer creamy cheesecake with spiced apples. For apple-and-pecan people, apple praline pecan pie is the one.

Cookies and handhelds

For something you can grab and go, my browned butter oatmeal apple cookies are chewy, nutty, and freeze beautifully, and apple pie biscuits are fast, flaky little hand pies. When you've got a lazy weekend, overnight apple fritter focaccia is a fun project that tastes like a giant apple fritter.

If you’re planning the whole holiday table, start with my best Thanksgiving desserts. And when you’re ready for a break from apples, my pumpkin desserts, Thanksgiving cookies, and all of my fall desserts are right here.