Autumn Eats & Treats

There is nothing likes the smells of fall! From pumpkin spice and cinnamon to fresh apples and warm chai, it is all incredible! But what may be even better than the scents that autumn brings, is the tastes! There are a few recipes that seem to perfectly emulate fall that we want to make in our home at this time of year.

The first one is Pumpkin Streusel Bread, it is moist and jam packed with fall flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, and maple! The texture is next level with a thick crumbly streusel on top that will surely make you fall in love with this sweet treat. I recommend using the Caraway non-stick Loaf Pan for this recipe.

Ingredients

FOR THE PUMPKIN BREAD:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed (can substitute with light brown sugar)

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (do not use pumpkin pie filling)

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger

  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour

FOR THE STREUSEL:

  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon

FOR THE MAPLE GLAZE:

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar

  • 1/4 tsp maple extract (can substitute vanilla)

  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup

  • 1 Tbsp milk or cream

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350℉. Liberally grease a 8-or-9" light metal loaf pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper and grease. Set aside. (See Note).

  • For the bread: In a large bowl, combine the softened butter with the brown sugar using a handheld electric mixer, creaming until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the pumpkin, followed by the eggs, mixing well after each addition. Next, add in the spices, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour and mix on low speed until just barely combined. Do not over-mix as this leads to tough bread; you want it just barely combined.

  • Spread the bread batter into the prepared pan in an even layer; set aside. Meanwhile, make your streusel: in a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, flour, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice and stir until the mixture resembles wet sand and is fully combined. Drop heaping handfuls of the streusel evenly over the top of the bread.

  • Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the bread comes out clean or with moist, but not wet, crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack.

  • Lastly, prepare your glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, maple extract, maple syrup and milk until a soft glaze comes together. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the bread. Let set before cutting into slices to serve.

Next, is Creamy Pumpkin Soup - it’s thick, full of flavor, and irresistible! A big warm spoonful of it brings so many fall memories to mind. We love pairing it with fresh sourdough or focaccia bread!

For this soup I love using this Caraway Pot!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2.4 lb pumpkin (any type) OR butternut squash, unpeeled weight

  • 1 onion , sliced (white, brown, yellow)

  • 2 garlic cloves , peeled whole

  • 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth/stock , low sodium

  • 1 cup water

  • Salt and pepper

Finishes:

  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Cut the pumpkin into 3cm / 2.25" slices. Cut the skin off and scrape seeds out . Cut into 4cm / 1.5" chunks.

  • Place the pumpkin, onion, garlic, broth and water in a pot – liquid won't quite cover all the pumpkin. Bring to a boil, uncovered, then reduce heat and let simmer rapidly until pumpkin is tender (check with butter knife) – about 10 minutes.

  • Remove from heat and use a stick blender to blend until smooth.

  • Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir through cream (never boil soup after adding cream, cream will split). 

  • Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle over a bit of cream, sprinkle with pepper and parsley if desired. Serve with crusty bread!

Lastly is the deliciously classic Apple Pie! Add a fun spin on it by making them into mini pies for the littles. The mix of tart crunchy apples, combined with the sweet cinnamon filling, all encased in a flaky crust…it’s like fall on your tastebuds!

For this recipe I recommend using the Zulay Marble Rolling Pin and the Caraway Muffin Tin.

Ingredients:

Servings: 12 mini pies

  • 2 pie crusts

  • 2 ½ cups chopped apples

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour measured correctly

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F

  • Roll the pie crusts out to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or a cup) cut out 12 circles from the pie crusts. Re-roll any scrap pieces of pie dough as needed to cut out the circles.

  • Place each circle of pie crust in each cavity of a standard 12-count muffin pan. Gently press the dough down and around the sides, making sure the dough fits snuggly in each cavity of the muffin pan. Transfer the muffin pan and any leftover pie crust dough to the refrigerator while you make the filling.

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the chopped apples, sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg until fully combined.

  • Remove the muffin pan from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the apple pie filling (about 3 tablespoons) between all of the cavities in the muffin pan.

  • Dice the tablespoon of butter into 12 small pieces and place one piece on top of the filling in each pie.

  • Remove the extra pie dough from the refrigerator, cut out your designs for the tops of the pies, and place them on top.

  • Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until the pie crust is lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove the mini pies from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Fall baking is associated with comforting aromas and classic flavors; baking together as a family has created special memories for our family as well as scrumptious eats and treats for all of us to share!

I have rounded up a few extra fall baking essentials HERE!

Chesley Tolentino