For a true taste of eastern Europe in Ontario, try the strudel at this authentic bistro in Port Dalhousie. Firm Granny Smith apples, sugar and cinnamon are cooked and then rolled in paper-thin pastry dough dusted with raw sugar. Served with a dollop of whipped cream, this crispy, flaky treat is light but decadent.

This treat from Port Dover elevates the everyday chocolate cookie by using brown butter and adding chunks of toffee to the mix. Chocolatey and sweet, with golden toffee notes, this hand-held goodie is one you won’t want to share.

The award-winning butter tarts from this bakery in Peterborough fly off the shelves. Tender, flaky pastry that is hand-rolled and hand-pressed into tart tins makes the perfect vessel to hold the runny, buttery caramel filling. With or without raisins, this treat is quintessentially Canadian.

Biting into one of these cupcakes from Kelly’s Bake Shoppe in Burlington is a deliciously virtuous experience, thanks to their recipe and their pedigree: moist, with the ideal gooey caramel centre and a hint of spice. They are gluten-free and nearly guilt-free!

Specializing in home-delivered handmade treats made with farm-fresh Ontario products, Carla’s Cookie Box puts the ultimate tastes of fall in a unique format. With each bite, a little of the Swiss meringue buttercream filling oozes out from between the cookie layers. Eat it quick: this can get messy in the best possible way!

Served warm and topped with a scoop of ice cream, the berry-rich crisp at The Voyageurs’ Lodge & Cookhouse north of Sault Ste. Marie helps keep the autumn chill from your bones. Every spoonful serves up equal parts ooey-gooey baked blueberries and crunchy oats and nuts, plus a hint of cinnamon.

Fall weekends in Muskoka begin with a stop at The Bakery for apple fritters. Chopped apples mixed in a lightly sweet batter, deep-fried to perfection and then coated with a sugar glaze make this the ideal treat to grab with a morning coffee.

Before the pumpkin-spice-everything craze, there was pumpkin pie. The classic flavour profile of warm cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg turns a humble squash into the quintessential fall dessert. The St. Jacobs Market has not one but four bakery vendors serving up slices and whole pies that look and taste homemade enough to be proudly served for Thanksgiving.

Lightning struck when Suzy Q in Ottawa decided to put crispy bacon on top of its popular maple doughnut. Sweet and salty, it’s the number-one seller, and for good reason — the two flavours have a sublime alchemy. Made fresh every day, these doughnuts are road-trip worthy.