The 15 best recipes to bake in October
It’s peak baking season — here’s what to make.
Date
October 1, 2025
What do jobs, school, sports practices, and commuting have in common? They all prevent us from baking as much or as often as we’d like. But when we do get the chance, we want a slam-dunk recipe — or 15. Here’s a list of our favorite fall recipes we’ll be making this month: from cinnamon-stuffed muffins to spooky fudge brownies to a swirled milk bread studded with maple and walnuts.
1) Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Forget what the calendar says: Fall hasn’t officially begun until you’ve had your first pumpkin dessert of the season. These cakey, spiced pumpkin cookies are generously studded with chocolate chips and finished with stripes of glaze, and they’re a great way to get into the autumnal spirit.
Get the recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make this, you’ll need: Cinnamon and Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Fudgy-Chewy Pumpkin Cookies, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies
2) Swirled Maple Milk Bread
Yes, we Vermonters know that maple season is technically in the spring, but maple is also a quintessential fall flavor — and as a result, this recipe had to make it onto our list of the 49 Best Fall Recipes, Ranked. It’s combined with walnuts to make a sweetened filling, which is then swirled into plush milk bread dough.
Get the recipe: Swirled Maple Milk Bread
To make this, you'll need: 9” Pullman Loaf Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Tiger Milk Bread, Vermont Maple Oatmeal Bread
3) Spider Web Brownies
You can transform a plain batch of brownies into a Halloween-themed dessert in a pinch. A simple piping technique creates a spider web effect and adds a touch of rich tang to chocolatey brownies.
Get the recipe: Spider Web Brownies
To make this, you'll need: Double Dark Cocoa Blend
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies, Brownie Cookies
4) Chocoflan
This cake has the best of both worlds: silky, caramel-laden flan and decadent chocolate cake. The magic of this two-layer cake is that the two layers swap places while in the oven due to the cake being lighter than the flan.
Get the recipe: Chocoflan
To make this, you'll need: Original Classic Bundt® Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake, Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars
5) The Great Pumpkin Bundt Cake
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Only this version comes in cake form. The decoration is deceptively easy: stack two small Bundts, frost the entire thing, and add a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone for the stem.
Get the recipe: The Great Pumpkin Bundt Cake
To make this, you'll need: Mini Bundt Pan Set
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Pumpkin-Espresso Bundt Cake
6) Cinnamon-Crisp Coffee Cake
This coffee cake is our perfected version of the traditional breakfast sweet. The cinnamon-scented crumbs, ultra-tender cake (made with the reverse creaming method), and sweet, fudgy filling are exactly what earned it our 2023 Recipe of the Year title.
Get the recipe: Cinnamon-Crisp Coffee Cake
To make this, you'll need: Vietnamese Cinnamon
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Crumb Lover’s Coffee Cake, Triple Chocolate Coffee Cake
7) Stuffed Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
It can be hard to get out of bed some mornings. But what if you knew a batch of these muffins awaited you? Their sugary streusel topping and secret cinnamon filling are all you need to entice you into the kitchen, no matter how early it is.
Get the recipe: Stuffed Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
To make this, you’ll need: Baker’s Cinnamon Filling Mix and Cinnamon Sweet Bits
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Doughnuts Muffins, Apple Muffins
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8) Chocolate Peanut Nougat Bars
We’re not saying you need to make your own candy for Halloween. But if you did, our take on homemade Snickers would be the way to do it. The layers of bittersweet chocolate, peanut butter nougat, and gooey caramel will make you wish the packaged version tasted this good.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Peanut Nougat Bars
To make this, you'll need: Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Tahini Chocolate Bars, Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars
9) Classic Apple Crisp
There are few things a fistful of buttery streusel can’t improve. Use it to highlight your favorite apples from the orchard and keep this dessert as simple (or extra) as you’d like. Optional boiled cider amps up the apple flavor, while walnuts give it more crunch. Plus, you can easily make this crisp gluten-free!
Get the recipe: Classic Apple Crisp
To make this, you'll need: Vermont Boiled Cider
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Cinnamon-Apple Twist Bread, Sugar-Crusted Apple Cobbler
10) Black Cocoa Halloween Cookies
Black cocoa is the key to giving these cookies their deep color and intense chocolate flavor. Thin and crisp with plenty of chocolatey bite, they can turn into a festive Halloween treat with just a sweep of orange glaze. Or, decorate them into a whole family of jack-o’-lanterns.
Get the recipe: Black Cocoa Halloween Cookies
To make this, you’ll need: Black Cocoa
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Faux-Reos, Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
11) Sourdough Ginger Pumpkin Bread
No pumpkin carving required here! This sweet sourdough bread is as festive as it is delicious with a soft, tender crumb, warm spices, and of course, pumpkin flavor.
Get the recipe: Sourdough Ginger Pumpkin Bread
To make this, you’ll need: Mini Diced Ginger
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Easy Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin-Sunflower Harvest Bread
12) Apple Pie Bars
Everyone could get behind a version of apple pie that’s easier than the original. These bars, featured in the 49 Best Fall Recipes, Ranked, call for a press-in shortbread crust, warmly spiced apples, and a crumbly, buttery streusel topping to make these reminiscent of Dutch apple pie.
Get the recipe: Apple Pie Bars
To make this, you'll need: 8” Square Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Sheet Pan Apple Pie, Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
13) Scissor-Cut Noodles with Umami Sauce
Making homemade noodles doesn’t always require rolling dough into painstakingly thin sheets. Instead, these chewy Shanxi-style noodles are made by snipping bite-sized pieces of dough directly into boiling water. To serve, take inspiration from recipe contributor Kat Lieu and make a savory sauce with peanut butter and soy sauce.
Get the recipe: Scissor-Cut Noodles with Umami Sauce
To make this, you'll need: Bread Flour
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Biang Biang Noodles, Pork and Cabbage Dumplings
14) Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
You’ll notice a lot of similarities between this pumpkin cake and carrot cake: moist, spiced cake, toasted walnuts, and rich cream cheese frosting. You can easily make it gluten-free, too.
Get the recipe: Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
To make this, you'll need: Pumpkin Pie Spice
If you like this recipe, you may also like: The Most Pumpkin Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, Harvest Pumpkin Scones
15) No-Knead Harvest Fruit Bread
Loaded with harvest fruits like pears, dried apricots, and cranberries, this hearty no-knead loaf delivers the ultimate toast experience. Bake a loaf at the start of the week and you’ll have a cozy, ready-made breakfast waiting for you.
Get the recipe: No-Knead Harvest Fruit Bread
To make this, you'll need: Baker’s Fruit Blend
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Harvest Grains Bread, Easy Multigrain Bread
Cover photo (The Great Pumpkin Bundt Cake) and food styling by Liz Neily.
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