Autumn weather always puts me in the mood for cooking and baking. It’s the best time of year for classic comfort foods that warm your heart from the chilly weather outside. Whether you’re an experienced chef or a first-time baker, you can’t go wrong with the basics, so here are some simple, classic recipes to make the most of your fall season.
Bacon & Brie pasta
Warm and hearty pasta— perfect for dinner on a cold autumn night. Any type of pasta is great, but this bacon and brie dish brings elevated, fancy flavors with little to none of the effort. The vegetables are cooked in the bacon grease, which some chefs call liquid gold. Along with adding flavor, cooking with bacon grease reduces splatter and scorching, unlike other cooking oils. You don’t even have to worry about cutting the rind off the brie for this recipe. It will melt while cooking and not affect the taste at all. If you’re looking to add a bit more nutrition, you can thinly slice half of a bell pepper and saute it along with the onion until soft.
https://whatsgabycooking.com/brie-bacon-and-basil-pasta/#recipeJump
Banana oatmeal muffins
Best muffins ever. I swear by the recipe and if you’re going to make any of these, it should be this one. It’s easy and quick, the longest part is the cooking time, which gives you plenty of time to queue up a favorite fall show or make a cup of hot chocolate. The original recipe is from All Recipes, but I’ve tailored it slightly to give it some extra flare. Add a teaspoon of your favorite fall spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom to the dry ingredients, and 1/4 teaspoon of maple extract or a few tablespoons of maple syrup to the wet ingredients. With these additions, you’ll end up with autumn in a muffin. Now here’s the best part: once you’ve combined all the given ingredients, add chocolate chips to your heart’s content. I’ve used both milk and semisweet chocolate in the past, and both are great.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6714/banana-oat-muffins/
TINI’s TOmato soup
Last autumn, chef Tini Younger took the internet by storm with her fabulous macaroni and cheese recipe, currently sitting at an outstanding 117.9 million views on TikTok. She’s known for her creative recipes and being featured on one of Gordon Ramsay’s shows, Next Level Chef. Her mac and cheese recipe may be her most popular, but one of my favorite recipes of hers is her heartwarming, and shockingly easy, tomato soup. I paired this recipe with a classic grilled cheese sandwich made with cheddar cheese and sourdough bread, cooked in a pan with a healthy coating of butter on each side (that’s how you get the toast crispy). Tomatoes are rich in vitamins, so not only is this dish good for your soul but also your heart.
Pumpkin cheesecake cookies
I made these cookies more times than I can count last year. This recipe is a bit more tedious, but every step is important, and the results are so worth it. All of my friends can vouch. One step that’s important to look out for is drying the pumpkin with paper towels. Spread the pumpkin out on a plate and use paper towels, I recommend two at a time, to take all the liquid out of the pumpkin by pressing down gently. Taking the moisture out of the pumpkin is what gives the cookies a soft, fluffy, cake-like texture, rather than being tough or chewy. These cookies are great while hot and fresh, but if they’re not all eaten right away, they’re even better after being stored in the fridge, which gives the cream cheese filling the cheesecake texture.
https://inbloombakery.com/pumpkin-cheesecake-cookies/
Fajita mac & cheese
Mac and cheese to me is the ultimate comfort food. Kraft dinner goes a long way, but it’s nothing compared to homemade. This dish combines a classic pasta dish with bright fajita flavors, and the chicken and veggies make it a whole meal. The recipe calls for fajita seasoning, which you can buy premade, but I made it using 1 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder,1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp cayenne. It also calls for chicken seasoning, which I made using 1/4 tsp of thyme, basil, rosemary, parsely, and pepper. I also added about 40g more cheese than it called for, but that’s completely optional.
I hope you try some of these recipes out, and that your fall season is as hearty as these dishes. Happy cooking!