With temperatures dropping, fall is the perfect time to get working in the kitchen. The cool air calls for warm, sweetly spiced treats, and these two recipes are sure to become favorites.

These are two of my favorite recipes of all time because I’ve had them for as long as I can remember. To me, it just doesn’t feel like fall without these two delicious treats. I love the baked apples because they are such a balanced dessert. They provide fiber from the apple, healthy fats from the peanut butter and sweetness from the honey, making them the perfect end to the night. But, when I want something sweeter, the pumpkin cookies hit the spot. In my opinion, the icing is the key component that takes them over the edge.    

               Baked apples                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Ingredients: apples, peanut butter, honey, raisins (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Core apples.
3. Use a knife to put peanut butter into where the core of the apple used to be.
4. Place raisins on top of peanut butter if desired.
5. Put about 1 inch of water into a glass baking dish that fits the number of apples desired.
6. Place the filled apples into the dish.
7. Drizzle honey over the apples.
8. Bake for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the type of apple. In general, bake until the apples are no longer crunchy, but not so long that they become mushy.
9. Cool the apples for a few minutes and enjoy.

Pumpkin cookies (makes ~48 cookies)

Ingredients: 

Cookies: 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 cups flour. ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ cup raisins, dates or nuts (optional)

Icing: ½ cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, ¼ cup milk, 1 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream sugar and butter.
3. Stir in egg and pumpkin until combined.
4. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
5. Add vanilla and stir to combine.
6. Add raisins, dates or nuts (optional) and stir until combined.
7. Bake for 12 minutes.
8. Combine all icing ingredients except for the powdered sugar in a saucepan and boil for two minutes.
9. Add powdered sugar and stir until combined.
10. Dip cooled cookies into the icing and enjoy.