Hot Desserts, 50 Ways to Heat Up Your Autumn Evenings

Mmmmm…Autumn. It starts out with the magic of golden days, and ends with the pure bliss of crackling fires and quilts and good books.

And food. When I think about Autumn foods I have to think of fragrant pears, tangy Macintosh apples, spicy pumpkin, sweet maple, and the rich taste of pecans, walnuts, and hickory nuts. Appetites naturally begin to increase as out bodies attempt to get ready for the chilly winter ahead. It is time for desserts.

Not necessarily the really hard to cook, gourmet, completely awesome concoctions that are so fun to make, but the comforting foods that have a history of living in country kitchens with red gingham tablecloths and pink cheeked grandmas with soft laps (may I NEVER be one of those, I prefer being a curvy, hot grandma with a comfortable but muscular lap, thanks). Things like apple crisps, and pumpkin pie and chocolate cobbler hot from the oven with whipping cream melting on top.

Here then, are my choices for the 50 HOTTEST Desserts of Autumn.

1. chocolate cobbler Chocolate is always my primary flavor. You remember these, sometimes called pudding cakes? The ancestor of the trendy lava cake. Chocolatey cake bakes atop a layer of rich pudding. This one is especially good but use a good dark cocoa.
2. pumpkin roll Rolled cakes always look elegant to me, and they are easier to do than you might think!
3. apple cranberry cobbler I don’t usually like Cooking Light but this recipe is wonderful.

Autumn Apple Strudel photo courtesy Bon Appetit
4. Autumn Apple Strudel Apples, dried fruits, chocolate, graham cracker crumbs…all encased in a flakey phyllo dough roll and drizzled with more chocolate.
5. Maple Pecan Pie
6. Poires au Thé Earl Grey (Pears Poached in Earl Grey Tea- what is simpler, more elegant, while at the same time, more homey than a pear of any sort? This is a delicious twist on the poached pear, my suggestion for this would be to skip the vanilla ice cream suggested, serve comfortingly warm with a lightly sweetened, whipped cream with candied orange peel added.
7. warm, dark chocolate cupcakes
individual, dark chocolate cakes, served warm with a soft, chocolatey center….mmm.. Not quite a pudding cake.
8. Warm Chocolate Raspberry Pudding Cake Similar to the chocolate cobbler but with the addition of raspberry jam. An unbeatable combination.
9. Apple Butterscotch Bundt Cake a dessert but also wonderful with a cup of steaming coffee first thing in the morning. Don’t tell my fitness trainer I said so.
10. Black & White Chocolate Fondue Infused with Lavender Valli at More Than Burnt Toast makes my list twice this month. This is the first. An incredible white chocolate/chocolate swirled fondue, infused with lavender, and pears for dipping. Imagine that with a sparkling dessert wine, a crackling fire, and your favorite company. Yeah. I thought so, too.
11. Valli’s second incredible dessert. Rustic Apple Tart Apples baked in a cream cheese crust. Nothing more to say about that!
12. Pumpkin Creme Brulee mmm..rich, silky, and spicy pumpkin custard with a crisp brulee top.

13. Banana Pecan Strudel from the National Pecan Shellers Association. I love strudel. There is something about the flakiness of it that is just…indescribable to me. Bananas are naturally sweet and rich and the addition of pecans? Perfect.
14. Maple Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie from Food Network. Sweet potato pie is delicious, although in a different way from pumpkin. The addition of bourbon is brilliant.
15. Fig Tart with Phyllo Crust Marie is one of my favorites. Here writing, as I have said before, absolutely transports you to the English countryside. I am quite sure that she cannot be real but is, rather, a fat, balding man that smokes cigars and lives in a Chicago inner city apartment, where he writes beautiful flights of fancy to amuse himself. (not really, Marie). In any case before you head to her blog grab some tea, a cookie and be prepared to spend the day. A Year From Oak Cottage
16.Pear Crisp with the addition of candied ginger this is an awesome alternative to the predictable apple crisp. Although, I have nothing against predictable apple crisp.

17.Tropical Carrot Cake This is an intensely rich and spicy carrot cake. It includes candied ginger, macadamia nuts, and coconut along with the carrot and pineapple in the cake batter,and coconut cream cheese frosting. An impressive three layers for your dining pleasure.
18. Hungarian Walnut Dessert I am SO going to be making this soon.
19. Pumpkin Brioche Bread Pudding Do I REALLY have to say anything after that?
20. Vermont Spice Cake I am pretty sure you can make it no matter where you live though. This is an impressive 4 layer cake.

21. Chai Pots De Creme I love the rich silkiness of pots de creme. This is an incredible variation and a perfect ending to an oriental type meal. Or a long day at work. Or a walk through a leaf strewn country lane. Or……
22. coffee and chocolate paris-brest with warm caramel sauce This is similar to a cream puff or eclair in that choux paste is used. However it is piped in a circle, baked, sliced and filled with a chocolate espresso pastry cream.
23. Bread Pudding If you have never looked at Ree’s blog OR her recipe blog you have missed out on one of the morning’s richest offerings. She is an incredible photographer, with an actual real sense of humor, and she cooks some awesome food. I check her blog at least several times a week and actually even leave the occasional comment which I am sure she never reads since she gets about 200 comments a day..still there are not many people I admire from afar. Confessions of a Pioneer Woman
24. Winter Fruit Pandowdy A pandowdy, if you aren’t one of the elite few that knows, is a cross between a pie and a cobbler and totally unlike either one. Try it..you will see what I mean. And you will make it again.
25. Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread. Gingerbread is one of my favorites. And this is one of, if not THE, best.
26. Wet Bottom Shoo Fly Pie Wet refers to the texture of the pie..Some shoo Fly pies are sort of cakey. This is not. When I was little we lived in Pennsylvania and we used to head over to Dutch Wonderland Park quite often. That was back in the 60’s when you packed picnic lunches and had time for family things. Anyway, we used to stop at this place on the way home that served shoo fly pie. The first time i saw it, the blackish/darkish/ gooey filling, and then heard the name I was 5 years old. And I distinctly remember deciding right that I would never, EVER put any of that in my mouth. I was wrong. I did. It conquered me. I am addicted. I live in Texas now and I miss all that great Pennsylvania Dutch food. Although I really do like my tex-mex food… In any case, don;t let the name scare you.
27. Banana Bourbon Cake With Bourbon Creme Anglais Can I have an AMEN?
28. Cranberry Truffle Brownies And you thought I was finished with brownies last week? You don;t know me so well, do you?
29. Banana Cream Pie with chocolate and caramel sigh. Another one of my favorite blogs, and when you head over there to check out the seriously good stuff she makes congratulate her because she has won the Brownie Babe of the month contest.
30. Pecan Pies Baked in Pumpkin Shells These are seriously cool. I book marked this blog because it is just an amazing array of all things cool from recipes to crafts. I will be checking it out more later. With a brownie in hand. Kattitudes
31. pumpkin pound cake This one has white chocolate..which really, is a great combination,imho. Pound cake is good to have around, it keeps well and you can use it to make other more impressive desserts like trifle and charlotte.
32. Orange Kiss Me Cake First of all, anything called Kiss me cake is going to heat up a chilly evening for sure. Second, this is one of my favorite vintage recipes, and this particular recipe is fabulous. For a little more oomph, if you think you need it, sauce it with hot fudge.
33.Homemade Fig Bars
34. maple syrup tart
35. Maple Cranberry Baked Apples Baked apples are like poached pears. Simple, comforting, delicious.
36. Apple Dumplings. What do the words apple dumplings bring to your mind? That chubby soft lapped gramma? Yeah, I thought so.
37.Pear, Walnut and Bleu Cheese Crumble If you don’t like bleu cheese this probably sounds weird but if you love it and understand the complexity of the flavors when coupled with fruits like pears or apples…well..you have all ready copied the ingredients and are halfway to the store…
38. Pear, Apricot and Cranberry Cobbler
39.Chocolate Terrine with Orange Creme Anglais sounds much more difficult htan it is. Definitely make this for a special evening and rent the movie, chocolat!..Don;t forget the crackling fire.

40. Pumpkin Tiramisu I am thinking of something along the lines of chicken in a basil cream sauce, maybe some fettucine parmesan on the side..a crisp endive salad with pears, pecans, and fontina, french bread and this for dessert? What do you think?
41.Louisa May Alcott’s Apple Slump Who could resist this? I mean she must have absently stirred this up as she penned the finishing lines of Little Women, or A Rose In Bloom.
42. Apple Brown Betty This is the real thing. Cinnamony sweet, tangy, tart and perfect. Goes great with grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of cream of tomato soup.

43. Fig and Apple Tart
44. Dutch Caramel Apple Cheesecake You didn’t think I was going to leave off cheesecake do you? This is wonderful. You think about pumpkin cheesecake for Autumn but this is different and delicious. Try it.
45.Vinegar Pie I love this pie. It is cheap, tastes like apple pie, and easy to do. Plus it is a vintage recipe and I like the idea of using a recipe that has been used for generations.
46.Baked Organic Brie with Caramelised Rum Figs ..sigh..this is just perfect. She serves it with spiced oat cookies and it looks fabulous. This is another blogger that I check with often, both for her recipes and her thoughtful writing.
47. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares are a casual dessert and pack easy for those long autumn walks. They are great as written but also with white chocolate chips rather than chocolate. Barbara has some great recipes on her site, Bless Us O Lord.
48.Baking History is another site I read alot. Food is such a basic thing it is cool to prepare recipes from the past. The recipe for Honey Cake is no exception. From a 1919 cookbook it is a wonderful dessert, traditional to Rosh Hashanah.
49. Oatmeal Cake is a comfort food I grew up on. Moist cake with broiled coconut pecan frosting is just perfect as an after school snack with a glass of milk or before bed with a good book and a cup of coffee.
50. Apple Tart – from the files of Baking Delights we have a spectacular tart. Yummy!
Well there you have it. The Best Desserts to Heat Up Your Autumn. All you need now is the quilt and the fire.

Be sure to check the rest of Home And Dining Channels Ideas for a Warm Autumn!
Declutter It’s 50 Organizing Products to Add a Touch of Fall Color to Your Home
Chocolate Bytes’ 50 Ways Chocolate Can Keep You Warm This Autumn
The Food Bowl’s 50 ways to Keep Your Pet(s) Warm This AutumnKeeping The Castle’s 50 Awesome Crockpot Recipes to Keep You Warm and Full\
Noodles and Rice’s 50 FReeasons Why A Japanese Winter is Hot
Off Beat Homes’ 50 Soul Warming Ways To Inspire the Next Generation of Architects
Simply Thrifty’s 50 Things You Can Do to Stay Warm This Autumn
Mother Earth’s Garden, 50 Vegetable Recipes to Keep You Warm This Autumn