So many people look forward to fall
. For some, it means the end of summer. For others, it might be the beautiful changing of the leaves, or they might look forward to the family time that comes with the fall holidays. Sure, all of those give us a reason to be excited about what’s on the horizon, but everyone can probably agree that the true highlight of this time of year is the food.
From our kitchens to our coffee shops to our grocery stores, fall flavors are everywhere, but only for a limited time. Once they’re gone, we have to wait nearly another year for them to return, leaving cinnamon and pumpkin lovers clamoring to get their hands on anything they can. Here are some of the foods we’re most excited to taste again:
Anything Pumpkin
Bread, muffins, coffee, pie, ice cream, donuts, cookies, butter, granola. If it’s a sweet and delicious treat, the odds of finding it in pumpkin flavor are excellent this time of year. Sure, most of them might fit into the “dessert” category, but we aren’t going to take any issue with substituting your typical breakfast of cereal and fruit for a pumpkin bagel with pumpkin cream cheese during the fall.
Anything Apple
Are we cheating by not naming specifics? It’s possible, but nothing seems to matter when you’re staring into the eyes of a warm mug of apple cider. Nearly as versatile as pumpkins, apples can be a great addition to any meal, snack or recipe. You can use them as the centerpiece of a show-stopping dessert, baking an apple pie or warming them with cinnamon atop vanilla ice cream, or you can simply eat them as they are, adding caramel, peanut butter or cheese if you need to.
Cinnamon Rolls
We won’t criticize you for enjoying a cinnamon roll at any time of the year, but there’s no denying that they taste better in the fall time. Something about the cooler weather, the changing leaves, the growing fruits and the perfect autumn smells only enhance the one-of-a-kind cinnamon roll experience. You can even top them off with other fall flavors before unraveling your roll until you reach that perfect final bite in the middle.
Sweet Potatoes
A Thanksgiving staple, sweet potatoes somehow seem to outmatch regular potatoes in the fall. Baked, mashed or made into a casserole, it doesn’t matter. They’re a perfect treat for any meal, as a side or as the star of a dish. Rich with nutrients, sweet potatoes come with a surprising amount of health benefits, so you don’t have to feel too guilty about adding a scoop to your dinner plate. Well, at least until you finish them off with marshmallows, brown sugar and caramel, that is.
Squash
Not only is squash nutritious, it’s also delicious, and its only limit is your imagination as a chef. Squash can be served simply by grilling or sautéing it, but it can also be used as a spaghetti base or a ravioli filling. Any from-scratch dish made with squash is sure to please at any dinner party, and adding some fall flavor, like a little bit of brown sugar, can complete the entrée.
Pecans
When talking about versatility, it’s tough to forget about pecans. Eaten raw, baked into a pie, topping a pastry or making pralines, you can’t go wrong with one of the most delicious nuts. They’re a heart-healthy superfood, but something else seems to set them aside from other nuts, like walnuts, cashews and almonds. We think it’s that buttery sweetness that makes them so delicious and gives them that perfect fall feeling.
