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Listen, I love Thanksgiving as much as the next person. But can we talk about how there are so many incredible fall desserts that deserve their moment in the spotlight before the big turkey day arrives?
I’m talking about those cozy weekend mornings when you want to bake something special just because. Or when you’re hosting friends for a casual dinner and need something that says “I put in effort” without actually requiring you to stress all day. These are the desserts that make your kitchen smell like heaven and have everyone asking for the recipe.
So before we all dive headfirst into bruleed pumpkin pie and butter pecan pie territory, let’s celebrate these 8 gorgeous desserts that aren’t for Thanksgiving (yet!).
If you’ve never baked with persimmons, this is your sign. This toffee persimmon pudding is rich, caramelized, and irresistibly sticky-sweet—like a cozy hug in dessert form. The persimmons add a subtle honeyed flavor that perfectly complements the buttery toffee notes. With their short season, this is the best way to enjoy them while you can. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and watch it disappear.
The ultimate lazy weekend bake—tender, cinnamon-spiced apples bubbling under a golden, buttery biscuit topping. Rustic, simple, and zero fuss. Serve straight from the dish with whipped cream and call it a day.
Fall in pastry form: soft, gooey pumpkin-spiced rolls with a cinnamon-sugar swirl and luscious maple cream cheese frosting. They’re soft, gooey, and everything you want in a weekend morning treat. Prep the dough the night before and wake up to pure autumn bliss.
If pumpkin isn’t your thing, these apple cinnamon rolls have you covered. They’re filled with a quick apple pie filling made with fresh diced apples, cinnamon, and a touch of lemon juice. The apples stay tender and jammy inside the fluffy dough, and topped with cream cheese frosting, it’s basically apple pie meets cinnamon roll perfection.
Brown butter changes everything. This pear apple crumble takes the classic fruit crisp and elevates it with nutty, caramelized browned butter in the topping. The combination of pears and apples gives you different textures and flavors, while the crumble top gets extra crispy and golden. Browning the butter adds maybe five extra minutes to your prep time, but the flavor payoff is enormous.
Individual apple pies infused with chai spice and finished with a caramel drizzle. They’re like regular apple pie’s cooler, more sophisticated cousin. Cozy, aromatic, and effortlessly impressive, each one feels like its own little showstopper.
All the flavor of apple cider doughnuts—no frying required. They’re tall, tender, and have a crispy cinnamon sugar topping that gives you that doughnut shop experience. The secret is in the spices and the moist crumb that comes from using applesauce. Bake a batch and you’ve got fall breakfast sorted.
This cake is everything you want in a pumpkin dessert—moist, deeply spiced, and not too sweet. It’s topped with rich, nutty brown butter frosting—pure magic in sheet cake form. Easy to serve, crowd-pleasing, and impossible to resist.
So there you have it: eight absolutely gorgeous desserts that deserve their moment before Thanksgiving takes over. Whether you’re in the mood for something fruity, spiced, or bakery-worthy, there’s something here for every fall craving.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some baking to do.
