Fall is a great time to get baking! The air is growing chilly and your oven is just begging for use, and there’s an abundance of fall fruits and vegetables just waiting to be turned into scrumptious tarts, pies and crisps. But with busy fall schedules, you might not always have the time to make your grandmother’s famous apple pie from scratch. Not to worry – here are three fall desserts that are both easy and delicious!

Mini Apple & Walnut Tarts – Peel and dice an apple. In a small bowl, mix together diced apple, ¼ cup dark brown sugar and ½ cup chopped walnuts. Cut 24 squares out of a sheet of puff pastry, about 1 – 1½ inches in size. Gently place pastry squares in a greased mini-muffin tin (no need to press into sides) and top with apple mixture. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

Red Wine Roasted Pears – Combine three cups of your favorite red wine, ½ cup sugar and the zest of two oranges in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Meanwhile, peel six pears, taking care to keep the stems intact for presentation purposes. Slice a small portion off the bottom so that pears stand upright. Place pears in a small baking dish and pour wine mixture over pears. Bake pears at 375 degrees until soft, basting occasionally with wine mixture.

Remove pears to serving plate. Return wine mixture to pan and reduce until it coats the back of a spoon and reaches a syrupy consistency. Pour wine mixture over pears and serve. You can also sprinkle with a good gorgonzola for a special touch.

Pumpkin Pie Dip – Mix together an 8 oz. package of cream cheese with two cups powdered sugar until very smooth. Add a 15 oz. can of pumpkin pie filling, a teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of ground ginger and mix until well blended. Cover and chill for eight hours. Serve with fresh apple slices and gingersnaps.

Looking for more fall dessert ideas? Send Kristy an email to kristy@thewickednoodle.com.

-See Also:

-Grilled Desserts!

-Blueberry Buckle Dessert

-Strawberry and Cream Pie