Warm and Cozy Dessert Recipes

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com
Updated September 02, 2020

Cinnamon, chocolate. ginger, maple, apple, pumpkin and other favorites flavor these 30 dessert recipes perfect for cooler weather.

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Caramel Pecan Skillet Brownie

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Caramel in the bottom of the pan melds with the brownie, creating a dessert so rich and gooey that you need a spoon to serve it. Because cast iron holds heat, the brownie will still be warm when you go back for seconds.

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Maple-Walnut Apple Cobbler

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This easy skillet cobbler is bursting with harvest flavor: crisp apples, cinnamon, toasted walnuts and sweet maple syrup.

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Chocolate-Caramel Fondue

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Just three ingredients go into this quick dessert: sweetened condensed milk, caramel ice cream topping and chocolate. Vary your dippers to match the mood of your party.

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Apple-Almond Brave Betty

Credit: Adam Albright
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We gave a classic dessert a new name, in honor of all the people who have cooked in servitude or fought for social justice over the centuries—and we updated the flavors, too, with almond cookies and a splash of bourbon.

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Banana-Fig Skillet Crisp

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Toast oats, coconut and macadamia nuts, set them aside, then warm bananas and dried figs in brown sugar and rum. Put the two together and you've got crisp, no oven required!

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Salted Almond Truffle Tart

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One of our testers described this tart's filling as "chocolate butter." We couldn't agree more. It's fantastically rich, with roast-toasty salted almonds in the crust and flaky sea salt on top to balance the sweetness.

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Cranberry Orange Upside-Down Cake

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Invert this moist cake while it's still warm to reveal a fall kaleidoscope of glistening, tart berries and sweet mandarin oranges.

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Fudgy Stout Brownies

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Fans of cakey brownies, step away now. These squares are dense and rich, thanks to brown sugar, extra egg yolks- and more than half a can of stout. Your friends and family may not be able to identify the beer, but its toasted malt flavor brings depth to every bite.

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Amish Apple Dumplings

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We often equate Amish food with comfort. Here's our version of a favorite dessert you might find at Amish-based restaurants in the Midwest.

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Salted Oatmeal Bars with Roasted White Chocolate Frosting

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Roasting white chocolate gives it a nutty flavor and caramel color; show both off in these utterly delicious salty-sweet bars.

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Molasses Cookies

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Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside: This spice cookie has it all. It's a state fair prizewinning recipe from Catherine Blackwood of Columbus, Ohio.

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Country Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

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Begging for a crown of birthday candles, this layer cake has two kitchen tricks working in its favor. Mayonnaise yields a moist crumb; sour cream keeps sugary buttercream in tangy check. (Note: This recipe makes enough frosting to fill and frost the entire cake [top and sides]. To leave the sides unfrosted as we did in our photograph, just make a half batch.

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Caramel Apple Cookies

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Chopped apple, pecans, apple juice, apple pie spice and more combine for a hearty, delicious cookie. The frosting and nuts add just the right touch of sweetness and crunch on top.

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Cranberry Layer Cake

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This moist white cake combines toasted pecans and refreshing orange peel with cranberries. Orange peel flavors the thick cream cheese frosting, too.

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Vanilla Apple Gratin

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This simple, orchard-fresh dessert captures the flavor of vanilla ice cream melting into the warm apples in a pie-but more quickly, and with way less fat and sugar.

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Apple-Butter Cakelets

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Caramel sauce adds a creamy-sweet finish to individual Apple-Butter Cakelets created by Midwest Living® in honor of Illinois' Amish bakers. You can choose between two Prairie State ingredients, apples or pumpkins, for this treat.

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Blackberry Clafouti

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Cherries usually dot this French country dessert, but we opted for plump blackberries and a wisp of orange liqueur. Baked in a large skillet or a group of minis, the simple, eggy batter yields a texture between cake and custard.

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Pioneer Wedding Stack Cake

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This wonderfully moist and generously spiced six-layer cake is a showy spin on humble applesauce cake.

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Cherry-Nut Cobbler

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This creative slow-cooker recipe takes advantage of several shortcut ingredients, including muffin mix and canned cherry pie filling, for an easy dessert.

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Cranberry-Pecan Tarts

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These tiny tarts mix cranberries and orange peel into a delightful pecan tassie recipe. Butter and cream cheese make the crust rich in this state fair blue-ribbon recipe from Sheila Bethia of West Allis, Wisconsin.

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Danish Pastry Apple Bars

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Put apple pie flavor into a convenient bar, and you have one of the most popular recipes ever published on our website. The flaky, double-crust pastry and sweet apple filling add up to a sure sellout at every bake sale. 

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Maple Syrup Cake

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Ruth Smiley of Parke County, Indiana, gave us her recipe for Maple Syrup Cake, which she makes in a fluted tube pan. We mixed up an easy maple syrup icing to drizzle over the top. Ruth's family produces maple syrup on land that's been in the family for five generations.

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Janice's Chocolate Oatmeal Cake

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Minnesota wild rice adds chewiness to this moist, chocolaty cake from Salty Tart in Minneapolis.

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Maple-Apple Pudding Bake

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The Wisconsin Maple Producers created this recipe to showcase maple syrup and juicy apples in a moist, rich dessert.

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Turkey Run Inn’s Bread Pudding

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A brown sugar and butter sauce completes this down-home dessert served at Turkey Run Inn at the state park in Marshall, Indiana.

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Fabulous Red Velvet Cake

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We gussied up chocolate cake mix with sour cream and red food coloring for Fabulous Red Velvet Cake. Then, we crowned the cake with a white chocolate-cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut.

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Gingersnap Gems

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The recipe for these sweet-and-spicy cookies comes from the Warren family in Stanley, Kansas. The gingersnaps are a favorite at family gatherings.

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Mom's Oatmeal Pie

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We love the nutty oatmeal taste of this sweet treat, and it's a healthier alternative to most desserts. If you're watching calories, serve this pie with a berry topping instead of whipped cream. 

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Single-Serving Caramel Apples

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Joan Wagner of Overland Park, Kansas, considers this baked apple dish her easy-entertaining recipe. "You can make these up to six hours ahead and cover them with plastic wrap, so the puff pastry doesn't dry out," she says. "The desserts bake while your coffee is brewing."

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Pumpkin Spice Whoopies

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A spiced marshmallow filling is sandwiched between cakelike pumpkin cookies in this easy-to-make dessert.

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com