18 Rosh Hashanah Desserts

Caramel Apple Cake Recipe

This cake is topped with sauteed apple slices and drizzled in a delicious Apple Brandy-Caramel Sauce.

Apple, Fig, and Honey Tart Recipe

Sarah Ann Hahn, a gluten-free baker and trick horse rider, created this sophisticated dessert for a dinner at Big Table Farm winery in Oregon using ingredients from the farm, including a splash of wine.

Chocolate Rugelach Recipe

Rugelach, a classic Jewish cookie, is possibly the most underrated holiday cookie of all time. With a simple, no-fuss dough that comes together in the food processor, and endless ways to customize each batch, this should be your go-to holiday treat. In this chocolatey iteration, finely chopped bittersweet chocolate provides a rich depth of flavor that kids and grown-ups alike can enjoy. Dunk them in coffee or hot chocolate, or just eat them as-is, these adorable little cookies are fun to make and require ingredients that you probably already have.

Classic Cinnamon Swirl Babka Recipe

Tender, moist, and fluffy, this classic babka recipe is like a cinnamon roll in sliceable loaf form—which makes for unlimited possibilities. A fresh warm slice is delightful on it’s own, while the leftovers are the perfect starting point for inspired sweet sandwiches, bread pudding, and more. We found that this cinnamon swirl loaf is especially awesome for making French toast.

Apple Galette with Vanilla Yogurt Drizzle Recipe

We save on sat fat and make the crust more tender by swapping in low-fat yogurt for some of the butter (use standard yogurt, not Greek-style). Make dough ahead and refrigerate or freeze (just remember to thaw completely before rolling). You can sub the scraped seeds from one vanilla bean pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the vanilla bean paste.

Apple Bundt Cake with Apple-Cream Cheese Glaze  Recipe

This incredibly moist bundt cake gains its strong apple flavor from 4 cups of shredded Granny smith apples baked into the batter, as well as a concentrated apple liquid (made by reducing apple juice and apple liqueur) that is brushed over the warm cake after baking and used to create the cake’s sweet-tart apple and cream cheese glaze.

Toasted Hazelnut and Honey Torte Recipe

Chef Mona Johnson, co-owner of Tournant catering in Portland, OR, created this recipe in honor of Springbrook Farm, a century-old hazelnut farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley. It was the finale to a lavish Thanksgiving dinner at the farmhouse brewery there, Wolves & People--so she topped the torte with malted whipped cream.

Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread Recipe

Perfect sliced up as a Rosh Hashanah dessert, this honey and pumpkin loaf has everything we love about the season. Mix the batter only until the dry ingredients disappear. (Lumps are normal.) Overmixing causes tough or misshapen loaves.

Miso Caramel-Apple Pie Recipe

You've no doubt heard of--and enjoyed--salted caramel. Miso caramel takes that concept one step further, offering depth and richness that's unparalleled. Even though this pie is rather decadent, it still comes in with 12g less sugar than a popular online version of caramel-apple

Caramel Apple Blondie Pie Recipe

Buttery rich layers of tender cake and caramelized apples add up to one sweet combo. The secret to the crisp, flaky crust? Baking in a cast-iron skillet on a lower oven rack.

Double-Crust Apple Pie Recipe

A double crust seals in the apples' natural juices as the pie bakes for full-on apple flavor. Tossing the apples with apple juice keeps them from browning as you peel and slice them, and it adds a boost of apple flavor.

Whole-Grain Apple Cake with Yogurt Cream Recipe

There's a trifecta of textural awesomeness here, as the buttery-crisp topping meets silky-smooth yogurt cream on moist, tender cake. By using whole-wheat pastry flour in place of all-purpose, we triple the fiber per slice to a hearty 4 grams. For a chunkier cake texture, use chopped apples instead of shredded. This cake is great served warm or at room temperature.

Apple Spice Bundt Cake with Cider Glaze Recipe

Don't be afraid to go 100% whole-grain with desserts; we use all spelt flour here with amazing results. The nutty flour boosts the taste of the butter, spices, and vanilla, unlike all-purpose flour, whose bland nature would dilute those flavors. Be sure to weigh the flour for accuracy; using too much will make the cake dry.

Apple Cream Torte Recipe

A cream torte is like a cross between a cake, a custard, and a dutch baby. The tender-sweet varieties of apples used here soften more readily than some when baked, making them a better match for the delicate cake. Look for Northern California and Northwest varieties at your local grocery store or farmers' market from August through November. Five great Western apple varieties in the Cameo, Gravenstein, Ida Red, Pink Pearl, and Sierra Beauty.

Pomegranate-Orange Tart with Pistachio Shortbread Crust Recipe

A handful of blueberries boosts the color of the filling, while the pomegranate seeds bring the holiday full circle.

Rustic Apple Tart Recipe

Purchased piecrust dough is a convenient time-saver. We like the flavor combo of sweet Golden Delicious and tart Granny Smith apples, but you can use any apple (or combination of apples) you like. If you'd like to keep strictly kosher when making this dessert, use walnut oil in place of butter, and look for pie dough made with shortening (and containing no lard).

Cinnamon-Apple Cake Recipe

This 5-star cinnamon apple cake is one of our best-ever recipes and can be served as dessert or a breakfast coffee cake. The cream cheese in the batter gives the cake lots of moisture, while the cinnamon sugar topping is dense and crumbly. The cake is best warm out of the oven, and will keep for a week after you've baked it. Toss in walnuts or pecans to the batter for an added nutty crunch.

Honey Cake Recipe

Traditionally served the first night of Rosh Hashanah, this cake expresses hope that the year to come will be sweet. You can make it two to three days ahead of time and store it in a zip-top plastic bag; the flavor actually improves over time.