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50 Best Fall Desserts

Kathleen

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Fall is my favorite baking season, and these are 50 of my best fall desserts. Pumpkin pies, apple crisps, salted caramel treats and a few cake mix shortcuts I’m proud of. Some are no-bake. One is made in the air fryer. Pick one and start baking!

50 Fall desserts, L-R Pumpkin bread, pecan pie bars, butterscotch pie, apple crisp topped with vanilla ice cream.
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The Best Fall Desserts Had to Earn Their Spot

Personally, I’m not a big summer fan. I count the days until that first cool, crisp morning, when the leaves start to turn. This is my time of year. When it finally shows up, I bake a loaf of pumpkin bread. The smell of warm spices fills the whole house, and just like that, it’s fall!

Kathleen

That first loaf kicks off my whole fall season of baking. Picking from my favorite fall desserts is hard, but it usually comes down to my Pumpkin Streusel Muffins or Uncle Al’s Apple Cake, a recipe straight from my own family.

My love of fall baking started with family. My grandmother and my mom were both amazing bakers. What I remember most from the warmth of their kitchens are the crisps, and a warm apple crisp is still one of my all-time favorites.

Their recipes became my family’s favorites because we made them again and again. Every recipe below had to earn its spot too. Real people tested each one in real kitchens, at sea level and at high altitude. If it’s on this list, it works, down to the last bite.

Kathleen

Pumpkin Fall Desserts

Pumpkin is the quintessential fall flavor, and it shows up in my kitchen the minute fall does. Pie, bread, muffins, scones, cheesecake bars, even ice cream.

My pumpkin pie is a Costco copycat. Same pie, no Costco run.

For no-bake, whip up my Pumpkin Fluff. It’s pumpkin pie in dip form, and your oven stays free. Leftover pumpkin goes into my Pumpkin Yogurt for tomorrow’s breakfast.

The Pumpkin Poke Cake and Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake are down in the crowd section, made for feeding a big group.

Mix up a jar of my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice and you’re set to flavor every one of them.

Pumpkin Bread with Browned Butter Maple Glaze

My first bake of every fall. Moist, warmly spiced and finished with a nutty browned butter maple glaze.
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Slice of pumpkin bread leaning against another slice off the end of the loaf.

Panera Pumpkin Muffins (Copycat)

Bakery-style muffins with tall domed tops and that sweet, crackly Panera finish. Even better than the Panera version!
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Pumpkin muffin with streusal topping, horizontal.

Pumpkin Custard Pie (Costco Copycat)

The Costco pumpkin pie, made at home. I tested five versions before this one won. Silky custard, deep pumpkin flavor and a flaky crust!
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Hero shot Pumpkin Custard Pie with slice removed.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Loaded with warm spices, these Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins use an entire can of pumpkin and are topped with a simple buttery streusel topping. I share my secret to making high-domed bakery-style muffins! They are extra moist, light, and fluffy, ready for the oven in 20 minutes.
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Drizzling glaze on top of pumpkin banana bread muffins sitting on a cooling rack.

Homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream

Pumpkin pie you can eat from a cone. No eggs and no stovetop custard, so you're that much closer to dessert.
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Three scoops of creamy pumpkin pie ice cream.

Maple Pumpkin Scones

Made with whole wheat flour and sweetened only with maple syrup. Basically a wholesome breakfast. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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Pumpkin scones with maple butter glaze.

Best Pumpkin Fluff Recipe (Pumpkin Pie Dip)

Ready in 10 minutes, this creamy pumpkin fluff recipe is filled with fall flavors. It tastes like pumpkin pie and cheesecake in dip form. Whipped together with real pumpkin puree, cream cheese, real whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices. 
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A hand dipping a cookie into the pumpkin fluff dip.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Streusel

Three layers in every bite. A Biscoff cookie crust, creamy pumpkin cheesecake and a brown sugar streusel on top.
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Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake Bars with pretty dollops of whipped cream with fork.

Apple Fall Dessert Recipes

Apple season means my oven barely gets a break. A few of these double as brunch, and I won’t stop anyone from having apple pie cinnamon rolls for dessert.

I keep two crisps on rotation. The Old Fashioned Apple Crisp is the classic. The Air Fryer Apple Crisp has no refined sugar and bakes in single servings.

For a German twist, there’s my Apfelkuchen and Apple Strudel. I learned the strudel in a class with a Viennese chef.

Gluten-free family and friends get my Gluten-Free Apple Crumb Pie.

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

The essential fall dessert. Tender cinnamon apples tucked under a buttery gluten-free crumble. Just like Grandma's, and the corner pieces still go first.
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A bowl of apple crisp topped with melting vanilla ice cream with a spoon diving in.

Fresh Apple Spice Cake (Uncle Al’s)

A family treasure from my stepdad's Uncle Al. No butter (it's dairy-free!), tons of fresh apples, and it stays moist for days. Thanks, Uncle Al.
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Slice of apple cake on a white fluted plate.

German Apfelkuchen (Sunken Apple Cake)

I learned this one while living in Germany, and it came home with me. A simple buttery cake where the apples sink right in and make themselves at home.
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Finished German apple cake on a wire rack with powdered sugar on top.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

Cinnamon sugar swirls and chunks of fresh apple in every slice. Breakfast or dessert? Yes, please!
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Slices of apple cinnamon bread leaning on each other.

German Apple Strudel

Flaky layers wrapped around warm cinnamon apples. It looks way harder than it is, so take all the compliments.
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Slice of apple strudel with a swirl of whipped cream on top.

Apple Double Crumb Cake

Twice the crumb topping, layered with spiced apples. Because one layer of crumb was never enough!
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Muffin Tin Mini Apple Pies

All the flavor of apple pie, shrunk down to handheld size. Baked in a muffin tin, so nobody fights over the biggest slice.
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Single mini apple pie recipe with caramel sauce on plate.

Gluten-Free Apple Crumb Pie

A tender gluten-free crust, a juicy apple filling and a crumb topping. Nobody will guess it's gluten-free unless you tell them.
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Slice of gluten-free apple pie on a plate with a fork and a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream on top.

Air Fryer Apple Crisp

A small batch apple crisp made right in the air fryer. Dessert for two, and the oven gets the night off.
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Bowl filled with apple crisp drizzled with maple syrup.

Best Apple Pie Filled Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (Homemade)

These apple pie filled cinnamon rolls are decadent, fruity, and made entirely from scratch. Ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling are worth the time and effort. Start ahead a day or two, breaking up the prep. 
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An apple cinnamon roll served on plate with apples.

More Fall Flavors: Pear, Pecan, Cranberry and Sweet Potato

Pumpkin and apple hog the spotlight every fall. I’m sneaking a few others onto the table, like juicy pears, toasty pecans and tart cranberries to cut through all that sweet.

My Sweet Potato Pie went through many rounds of testing. Boiled sweet potatoes with evaporated milk, then roasted with real heavy cream. Roasted won, hands down.

The Cranberry Orange Scones are another brunch crossover. Freeze them unbaked and bake straight from the freezer the morning of.

Southern Sweet Potato Pie

This Southern sweet potato pie is made with roasted sweet potatoes and real heavy cream for a silky, lightly spiced filling. It’s even better made a day ahead, which makes it an easy pie for Thanksgiving!
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Overhead shot of a slice of sweet potato pie with whipped cream on top.

Pear Bundt Cake Recipe

Pears are in season, and you’re looking for the perfect dessert. Here it is with this easy to make Pear Bundt Cake. This pear cake recipe is perfect for a fall bake sale, a party, or even a family dinner. The end result is pretty and so, so delicious!
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slice of Pear bundt cake recipe with a spoon drizzling vanilla sauce on top.

Pecan Bars with Shortbread Crust

These Pecan Pie Bars bring everything you love about classic pecan pie, only they’re easier, sturdier, and built on a buttery shortbread crust that’s downright addictive! They’ve become a must-make in my holiday rotation and I think they’ll sneak into yours, too.
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Pecan pie bars lined up in lines on a parchment paper.

Best Cranberry Nantucket Pie Recipe

This Cranberry Nantucket Pie isn't technically a pie, more of a cake, really. It has a juicy layer of sweet-tart fresh cranberries on the bottom and that crispy, buttery, cakey cookie topping! Easiest holiday pie ever!
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Slice of Nantucket cranberry pie on plate topped with vanilla ice cream and sugared cranberries.

Cranberry Orange Scone

These homemade Cranberry Orange Scones are melt-in-your-mouth tender with a golden, crispy exterior and bright pops of fresh cranberries. Finished with a silky orange vanilla glaze, they're the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and buttery flavor!
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Cranberry Oranges scones with orange glaze on a cooling rack.

Cranberry Lemon Bars NYT Recipe

Lemon Cranberry Bars are refreshing and bright with sassy and sweet tones. They are wonderfully refreshing after a big meal and so festive with layers of yellow and red.
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Lemon Cranberry Bars square on plate dusted with powdered sugar and decorated with sugared cranberries.

Caramel and Chocolate Fall Desserts

Not everything in fall has to be pumpkin or apple. Sometimes you just want caramel. Or chocolate. Or both.

The Chocolate Pumpkin Graham Crisp sneaks pumpkin in anyway. I couldn’t help myself.

Four of these are no-bake, so the oven stays free for the pies. The Snickers fudge is for my mom. When I was a kid, her one guilty pleasure was a Snickers bar stashed in the freezer and rationed all week.

My Salted Caramel Bourbon Vanilla Sauce and Homemade Butterscotch Sauce go on everything here. Ice cream, too. Okay, and a spoon.

Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie

A creamy butterscotch filling with a hint of cinnamon. An old-school pie that's ready to steal a spot on your Thanksgiving table.
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Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie slice on a plate with bite on a fork.

Easy Chocolate Mini Pies Recipe (French Silk)

These Chocolate Mini Pies are make-ahead, no-bake and freezer-friendly. Real melted chocolate, French silk style, on a toffee graham cracker crust, all made right in muffin cups.
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Mini French Silk chocolate cream pies.

Vanilla Bourbon Caramel Sauce

Need a quick, elegant, simple dessert sauce to wow your guests? This Vanilla Bourbon Caramel sauce is rich and creamy, a little bit salty with a hint of bourbon.
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Caramel sauce in a jar with a spooning swirling some in!

No Bake Chocolate Pie

It’s pie season! I have the easiest, most scrumptious no bake chocolate pie recipe for you with options for personalization. My mouth waters just thinking about the silky smooth texture and rich flavor in this dessert! 
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No bake chocolate pie with graham cracker crust with wedge removed on pie server.

Easy Snickers Candy Bar Fudge Recipe

Easy step-by-step instructions to make Snickers fudge! Like the classic treat, this fudge has layers of fluffy nougat, gooey caramel, and crunchy peanuts coated with sweet milk chocolate.
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Three pieces of snickers fudge stacked on top of each other.

Butterscotch Sauce

Forget store-bought toppings! This homemade Butterscotch Sauce is so much better. It’s buttery, sweet, and ready in just minutes!
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Spooning the butterscotch sauce onto vanilla ice cream.

Best Blondie Recipe

My go-to cookie bar for decades. Gooey, chewy and packed with caramel flavor, all in one bowl.
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Two stacked blondies loaded with butterscotch chips.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookies (Crumbl Copycat)

The Crumbl favorite, made at home for a fraction of the price. Big, soft, topped with salted caramel and definitely not sharing size.
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Two frosted, graham cracker cookies, topped with cream cheese frosting caramel sauce and sea salt. Salted Caramel Cheesecake cookies, crumbl copycat cookie.

Chocolate Caramel Peanut Clusters

Salty, sweet, gooey and crunchy, all in one little no-bake bite. There's a dairy-free option in the post.
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A glass serving dish holds peanut clusters and sits next to holly, caramels, and chocolate chips.

Browned Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Frosting

Soft sugar cookie bars made with browned butter for a toasty, nutty flavor. Then the salted caramel frosting shows up and steals the show.
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Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Graham Crisp

Learn how to make this easy chocolate pumpkin skillet crisp! Rich chocolate, blended with healthy pumpkin into a warm, soft, cobbler-like cake with a crunchy graham cracker crisp topping. Heavenly! Easily adapted to be gluten free.
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Image of cast iron skillet with chocolate pumpkin crisp, chocolate chips and forks and napkins laying behind.

Easy Fall Desserts for a Crowd

Potlucks, tailgates, church suppers, Thanksgiving with the whole family. These easy fall desserts are my go-tos when I’m feeding a crowd.

A few start with a box of cake mix, and I’m not sorry. My Pumpkin Poke Cake is basically a pumpkin spice cake, and it’s an easy recipe with just four batter ingredients. Nobody at the potluck will know, and nobody will care. 

Easy Pumpkin Poke Cake

This easy Pumpkin Poke Cake uses a whole can of pumpkin and no eggs or oil! A moist spice cake soaks up sweetened condensed milk, then gets topped with real whipped cream and crunchy toffee for the ultimate fall dessert.
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Slice of pumpkin poke cake with whipped cream and toffee on top.

Caramel Apple Dump Cake (Oven or Crock Pot)

Dump it, bake it, done. Use the oven or the crock pot, whichever one isn't already busy.
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Caramel Apple Dump Cake Recipe slice on a plate topped with ice cream and a spoon on the side.

Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake

All the flavor of pumpkin pie with none of the crust fuss. Rolling pin? Never heard of her.
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Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake sliced and on two plates, topped with swirls of whipped cream.

Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake

A tender bundt cake with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar through the middle. Pretty enough for a party, easy enough for a Tuesday.
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Slice of cinnamon swirl coffee cake on spatula with whole cake below.

Easy Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

A soft pumpkin cake with a cinnamon streusel topping. Brunch, bake sale or dessert? It doesn't care what time it is.
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Pumpkin honeybun spice coffee cake with cinnamon sugar swirl center.

Fall Cookies

My blog is called The Fresh Cooky. So yes, cookies are kind of my thing.

They’re also the easiest fall treats to bring to a crowd. No knife. No plates. No fuss. Just grab one and go.

Salted caramel fans, my Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookies are up in the caramel section.

Snickerdoodles Recipe

Soft, chewy and rolled in cinnamon sugar. The smell alone tells the whole house it’s fall.
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Two snickerdoodle cookies on top of a stack of wooden coasters with one cookie missing a bite.

Soft Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

If you are a pumpkin fan, you are going to fall in love with these giant, soft pumpkin cookies. Loaded with rich butterscotch chips and seasonal spices; these cakey, but not dry spiced pumpkin cookies are bursting with the flavors of fall and the holidays in every bite. Plus they take less than 15 minutes to get in the oven.
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Soft Pumpkin Cookies on wire rack being dusted with powdered sugar.

Biscoff Stuffed Cookies (Cookie Butter)

These Biscoff Stuffed Cookies are truly the best! A bakery-quality chewy cookie with everyone's favorite cookie butter inside for the gooiest bite. I guarantee everyone will be asking you for the recipe.
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Biscoff stuffed cookie butter cookies stacked on a cutting board.

Easy No Bake Cookies

Rich, fudgy no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies made with peanut butter and a perfectly timed 60-second boil. No oven required, just one saucepan and about 10 minutes.
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Side view of a stack of no bake chocolate oat cookies.

Greek Twist Cookies (Koulourakia)

My friend Mimi’s YiaYia’s recipe. Buttery Greek twist cookies with a secret ingredient: cinnamon water.
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Twisted Greek butter cookies in a wire basket.

Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are bakery-style perfection with crisp edges, chewy centers, and a rich nutty, caramel flavor. Made with browned butter and plenty of chocolate, they’re simple to make and tested for both sea level and high altitude so you get perfect cookies every time.
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Layers of freshly baked brown butter chocolate chip cookies with puddles of gooey chocolate and topped with flaky sea salt.

Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Amazing chewy, oatmeal cookies with maple brown sugar buttercream sandwiched between. It’s like eating a warm, chewy bowl of oatmeal with all the fixings!
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Two stacked oatmeal sandwich cookies with a third leaning up against them.

Brown Sugar Shortbread

Brown Sugar Shortbread is my new favorite twist on a classic, and since thousands of you have made and loved my traditional shortbread recipe, you knew this one was coming. These beauties bake up in the cutest stamped shapes and have a deeper, richer caramel flavor that regular shortbread just can’t touch!
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Stamped brown sugar shortbread cookies stacked on top of each other.

Make-Ahead Fall Desserts

Truth is, I rarely make the whole Thanksgiving meal. My big family splits up the dishes, and I usually take the turkey, gravy and stuffing. Once that bird goes in, the oven is spoken for. So dessert gets done early.

Here’s how I stagger it:

In my family, chocolate beats pumpkin. That’s why my Death by Chocolate Cake shows up every year. It can be made days ahead, or even frozen weeks out.

For sides, drinks and more, see my Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes.

Danish Kringle (Pumpkin or Pecan Filling)

My Trader Joe's copycat, no seasonal hunt required. Flaky pastry with your choice of pumpkin or pecan filling, finished with a sweet glaze.
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Sliced Danish kringles on a piece of parchment paper.

Mile High Mud Pie (Ice Cream Cake)

A sky-high freezer dessert that's done days before the party. Check the post for a spooky Halloween ice cream cake variation.
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Layered mud pie ice cream cake, with a few pieces removed to show the decadent layers.

Death by Chocolate Cake

A decadent, rich, three layer chocolate cake with a fudgy brownie base, creamy and rich ganache center and a light and fluffy chocolate cream cheese mousse top. It’s easier than you think!
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Homemade Almond Kringle

This almond kringle recipe makes a flaky, buttery Danish pastry ring filled with soft homemade almond paste, then topped with icing and toasted almonds. The sour cream dough needs no folding or laminating, so you get a Wisconsin-style kringle without the three days of work.
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Fall Desserts FAQs

What are the most popular fall desserts?

The classics are pumpkin pie, apple crisp, pumpkin bread, apple cake and pecan pie. You’ll find my favorite version of each one above.

What fall desserts can be made ahead?

Most pies, bundt cakes, bars and cookie doughs. Custard pies like pumpkin and sweet potato actually taste better after a night in the fridge. Cookie dough and unbaked scones freeze for months. See my make-ahead timeline above for exactly what to bake when.

What is the most popular Thanksgiving dessert?

Pumpkin pie, by a mile. My Pumpkin Custard Pie is a Costco copycat that tastes just like the real thing.

Can I make these fall desserts at high altitude?

Yes! Every recipe is tested at sea level and at Mile High. Look for the altitude notes in each recipe card.

Are there gluten-free fall desserts?

Yes. Try the Gluten-Free Apple Crumb Pie. The Old Fashioned Apple Crisp also has an easy gluten-free swap.

More Fall Favorites from My Kitchen

Dessert is only half of fall. Here’s where to go next:

Bake one of these and tell me about it in the comments. I read every one, and I love hearing which recipe became a keeper at your house.

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Kathleen Pope

Meet Kathleen

Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer

Hi, I’m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen.

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