Just because summer is over and the season for berries, peaches and melons has passed, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy fruit desserts. Fall brings us apples, plums, pears, figs, grapes and pumpkins. No matter which fruit you pick up at the market, there are so many delicious desserts that you can make. A warm apple pie, a sweet plum tart or a delicious pear crisp are all terrific to enjoy on a cool fall night.
Apple Bars
Makes 20 bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped (3 cups)
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted or cinnamon chips
- Whipped cream or frozen yogurt (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan; set aside.
In a very large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
In a medium bowl combine eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir in apples and nuts. Add egg mixture in the well in flour mixture, stirring just until moistened (batter will be thick). Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 1 hour to serve slightly warm, or cool completely. If desired, top each serving with whipped cream or frozen yogurt
Plum Galettes
8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 ounces light cream cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons low-sugar orange marmalade
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 recipe Galette Pastry, recipe below
- 4 medium plums, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 2 tablespoons almonds or walnuts, chopped
- Milk, for brushing the pastry
- 4 teaspoons honey
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a medium bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high-speed. Beat in egg yolk, orange marmalade and ginger.
Prepare pastry:
Divide the pastry dough into four portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough portion into a 7-inch circle. Spread each portion with one-fourth of the cream cheese mixture, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with plum slices and almonds. Fold border up over the filling, pleating pastry as necessary to fit.
Place galettes on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops and sides of the crust with milk.
Bake about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Serve warm. Cut each in half and drizzle with honey.
Galette Pastry
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Directions
In a small saucepan heat and stir 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until light brown; set aside to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl stir together all-purpose flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter and the browned butter until the mixture resembles crumbs.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of the mixture; toss gently with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon cold water at a time, until all of the flour mixture is moistened (2 to 3 tablespoons total). Form dough into a ball.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes
24 cupcakes
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree, not pie mix
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1 package (8 oz.) light cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place paper liners in 24 muffin cups.
For the filling:
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
Add the egg and beat on low just until combined.
For the cupcakes:
In a large bowl, beat the pumpkin, sugar, oil and the 4 eggs until well blended.
In small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat into the pumpkin mixture until blended.
Fill the muffin cups one-third full with batter.
Drop a tablespoonful of filling into the center of each cupcake and then cover with the remaining batter.
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin portion comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Store cupcakes in the refrigerator.
Pear Crisp
6 servings
Ingredients
- 5 cups thinly sliced pears
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Topping
- 1/2 cup regular rolled oats
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the sliced fruit with the granulated sugar and place in the prepared baking dish.
For the topping:
In a medium bowl stir together the oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the nuts.
Sprinkle topping evenly over the fruit.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the topping is golden. If desired, serve warm with frozen yogurt.
Grape Cake with Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fine grind, yellow cornmeal, plus extra for dusting the pan
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 cups red and green seedless grapes
Wine Sauce
- 4 cups fruity white wine, such as Riesling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-inch round baking pan with cooking spray and dust with the extra cornmeal. Shake the pan to evenly coat all sides and the bottom and tap out the excess.
Stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Place eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Turn mixer to low-speed and slowly add in the olive oil.
Beat in the milk, vanilla extract and orange zest until well incorporated, about 1 minute.
Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the wet mixture, a half cup at a time, while mixing on low-speed until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Using a spatula, transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Disperse the grapes evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean and the cake is golden brown.
Remove the pan from oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5–10 minutes. Turn pan over and remove the cake. Let the cake cool completely, grape side up, on the wire rack.
Place the wine in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and allow the wine to simmer until it has reduced by half, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.
To serve, slice the cake and drizzle the wine reduction over the cake.
