Fall Baking Tips

It’s finally fall! Some may call autumn “baking season” and for good reason! With the seasonal produce (hello all things pumpkin and apple!) and the spices that are synonymous with it (cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, oh my!), there are so many delicious fall flavors! Sphinx Date Co. offers some simple tips to make baking easy and fun.

Use What’s In Season — With the arrival of fall, people tend to whip out those pumpkin spice lattes before the first leaf has dropped from the trees. But pumpkin spice has become popular in fall because, of course, of the pumpkin harvest. While many people simply use the pumpkin pie spice (or creamer!) to enhance their coffee, pumpkin is a great flavor to use in all kinds of baking recipes. Beyond the spice, canned pumpkin puree or whole pumpkins should also be experimented with when baking this fall! Pumpkin puree makes for moist and delicious pumpkin breads and muffins, especially when combined with cinnamon-sugar and some chopped pecans. Apple is a fabulous fall fruit, and can be just as versatile when baking. Apple sauce can be used in place of eggs or oil in many baking recipes, and chopped apples added to a bread or muffin recipe can also make for a moister result. Sweet potatoes are another seasonal item to break into this fall. Think beyond sweet potato pie or casserole with marshmallows. The sweet potato, with is smooth consistency and mild flavor, is much too versatile to relegate to just those popular staples. 

Make Some Simple Swaps — Just as easy as swapping eggs or oil out for apple sauce, there are a multitude of other substitutions that can be made in baking recipes either for health or preference — or both. For example, dates are a great natural replacement for processed white sugar or even honey in a recipe. Dates can be chopped up to add texture, blended into a paste, or even made into a syrup to use as a sugar replacement in a variety of ways from morning coffee to a decadent dessert. It’s also a great way to “veganize” a baking recipe the calls for eggs or honey. 

Have Fun — Most importantly, baking as a hobby should be fun! There’s no need to take it too seriously or to be too rigid about following a recipe. Experimentation is part of the fun and it could lead to a new favorite item. Fall baking can also be a social event — get the kids in the kitchen to make apple oatmeal cookies, invite friends over to bake some pies for Thanksgiving, or spend a “date night” in the kitchen baking a seasonal dessert to enjoy with some kicked-up apple cider or a hot toddy. 

Sphinx Date Co. invites everyone to embrace fall in their own way. For those who love to bake, now is the time! For those that are looking for some inspiration (or some snacks and sweets already prepared!), stop into the Palm & Pantry today.