With leaves changing and fall approaching, seasonal sweet treats follow. Many Americans state that apple, pumpkin, and cinnamon are their comfort flavors during these increasingly colder days.
Clearly, however, pumpkin wins the contest. The average millennial spends approximately $64 a month on pumpkin spice-flavored products during the fall season, according to empower.com.
Scratch Bakery, at 84 Broad St., reported that its most popular fall flavor is pumpkin.
Of course, pumpkin isn’t the only fall flavor that can be found at this Milford bakery. Pies are their most popular fall dessert, and their most popular pies are traditional apple, apple crumb, pumpkin, and pecan.
Every year, the fall menu changes a little bit from the previous year. This year’s new additions stray a little bit from the popular pumpkin flavor. The bakery is showcasing apple strudel syrup for their fall drinks and their new chocolate peanut butter Halloween cookie.
“We take inspiration from classic fall flavors like cinnamon, sugar, apple, and pumpkin – we then try to put our own spin on these classic flavors by utilizing current bakery trends,” says Scratch spokesperson Evan Cassidy.
One example of this is their menu item, Carmel Apple Chaider, a spin on the infamous apple cider drink. They added chai tea and home-made caramel sauce to the apple cider to create this creative new drink. Foran High School culinary teacher, Ms.Beth Cafferty, also has plenty to say about fall flavors. She shares one of her favorite pie recipes, which is a tribute to pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, the classic flavors of fall
“I remember my mom teaching me how to make pie crusts and homemade whipped cream,” she says.
- Beth Cafferty’s Pie Recipe
- Ingredients:
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin pure
- 1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
Step 1 – Gather all ingredients and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Step 2 – Whisk pumpkin puree, condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth.
Step 3 – Pour into the crust. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Step 4 – Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking until a knife inserted 1 inch from the crust comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool before serving.
As the weather cools down and the leaves begin to fall, comfort can be found in the warm, familiar flavors of the season. Whether it is the classic pumpkin pie from a family recipe or the creative twists at local bakeries like Scratch, or freshly baked apple treats, fall flavors bring people together through tradition and taste.
Pumpkin may take the crown, but apple, cinnamon, and other autumn spices continue to inspire both the bakers and the customers. These favors hold a special place in many family traditions and show how these are more than ingredients; they are a celebration of the season.
