Yummy Fall Desserts

One of my favorite things about fall is all of the yummy produce coming into season.  Apples, squash, pumpkins and various nuts make the most delicious desserts, soups, salads, and even coffee drinks!  Added bonus - your house smells amazing with those warm, cinnamon-y, cozy aromas.  I have seen a few interesting simple dessert recipes pop up on FB recently and wanted to gather them into one post for easy reference.  Enjoy!

Turtle Cookie Bars

From Southern Living Best Desserts.

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2nd Layer

1 cup pecan halves or chopped pecans

2/3 cup butter

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup milk chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Pat mixture firmly into an ungreased 13x9 inch pan.

Arrange pecans over crust.

Combine 2/3 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Remove from oven; sprinkle with chocolate morsels. Let stand 2-3 minutes or until slightly melted. Gently swirl chocolate with a knife, leaving some morsels whole (do not spread). Let cool on a wire rack at room temperature until chocolate is set. Cut into squares.

2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

For the Cake:

1 Yellow Cake Mix

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

For the Glaze:

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 Tablespoons apple cider

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Empty the contents of the boxed cake mix and pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer or stand mixer beat until well incorporated. The batter will be very thick, but will come together nicely.

Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 X 2 pan. This is the small, rectangular-sized pan from your Pyrex set. You know the set you had to have when you got married and rarely ever used all the pieces. Finally, you have a use for it.

Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over bake.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a platter.

Make the glaze while you're waiting.

Combine powdered sugar, apple cider and pumpkin pie spice. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar or cider if needed. Pour over the cake while still warm. Reserve some to pour over each slice when served.

Apple Crumble Dessert

Pretty soon apple harvests will begin and apples will be inexpensive and in abundance in our stores... Buy organic if you can!

Ingredients:

About 5 to 7 granny smith apples (or whatever you prefer), peeled, cored & thinly sliced

1 (9 ounce) package yellow cake mix

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 stick real butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Cut apple slices crosswise in half.

3. Place in pan; sprinkle with dry cake mix.

4. In small bowl, combine sugar & cinnamon; sprinkle over cake mix.

5. Drizzle with butter.

6. Bake 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

7. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired!

Apple Cider Floats

Ingredients:

2 cups apple cider

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup vanilla ice cream

1 tbsp. caramel sauce

1 pinch of nutmeg

 In small saucepan, heat cider with cinnamon stick. Pour cider into 2 float glasses. Top with ice cream, caramel sauce and some grated nutmeg. Serve with spoon. 

TIP: It helped me to put the ice cream in the glass first then pour on the cider!

Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies

(ok, these are not exactly FALL-ish, but someone shared this recipe recently and had to try!)

Yields 36 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup White Sugar

1 small pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding mix

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 pkg ( 12 oz) Milk Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter, both sugars, pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until creamy and fluffy. Then slowly mix in flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls, onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for ONLY 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes before eating.