Taste of Home (editor) - Taste of Home Fall Baking: 275+ Breads, Pies, Cookies & More

Taste of Home Fall Baking

275+ Breads, Pies, Cookies & More!

Celebrate the changing of the season with mouthwatering, satisfying baked goods.

Autumn is the perfect time of year for bakingfor very good reason! After standing unused during the hottest days of summer, the oven now has a chance to shine as enthusiastic bakers turn on the heat and create new homemade treats. Just waiting to be used are all the rich tastes of fallfruits, vegetables, nuts, berries and spices that are ideal for a host of baked delights. Now, Taste of Home Fall Baking shows you how to make the most of that cornucopia of flavors.

Whether its the perfect pumpkin bread, sweet and gooey cinnamon rolls, a fresh-baked loaf of potato bread, indulgent caramel cupcakes, or sweet and tangy cran-apple gingerbread, harvest flavors lend themselves to baked goods like no others. Reward an afternoon of raking leaves with a warm-from-the-oven hazelnut scone and a cup of hot chocolate. Pull out a tray of caramel-apple shortbread to welcome friends who stop by. Tuck a molasses cookie into your childs lunchbox as a back-to-school treat. Bake up some chocolate-chai loaves for your schools fall fundraiser, or some maple-flavored pastries for a church social.

For your convenience, a special added index highlights recipes by flavorso you can find just what youre looking for. Whether youre craving something made with maple, looking for a new pumpkin recipe or wanting to make the most of the bounty you brought back from a morning spent picking apples at a local orchard, youll find lots of ideas quickly and easily.

Of course, fall isnt just about desserts, so theres also a bonus chapter dedicated to savory, satisfying baked options. From mile-high chicken potpie to salmon quiche, beef & blue cheese tart to Buffalo chicken crescent rolls, this section gives options for a warming and cozy autumn dinner.

Each and every recipe in this collection has been tested and approved by the experts in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, so theyre guaranteed to workthe first time and every time after that. Youll find tips and helpful hints from our home economists scattered throughout the book, full-color photographs on every page, and full nutritional information with each recipe.

With Taste of Home Fall Baking, you have a timeless treasury of recipes that youll pull out each year when the leaves start to turn from green to red and gold. For bakers of all skill levels, whether youre cooking for a crowd or just your family, these are the delicacies that youll turn to again and again.

Throughout this book, youll find handy direct links to extra content, including demonstrations and collections of additional recipes.

SEE HOW ITS DONE

For example, just click here to learn how to make the perfect pie crustwith in-depth explanations of not just the how but the why of each step.

Add delicious flavor to your fall baked goods by using spices that taste just right for the season.

1. Allspice

Available whole or ground, it combines the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. This spice complements stews, carrots, pork, poultry, squash, cakes, cookies and breads.

2. Cinnamon

With its mildly sweet to bittersweet flavor, this is a nice addition to baked goods like coffee cake and crumbles. And it enhances stews, curries, fruit, squash, oatmeal, pork and beef.

3. Anise

These seeds are used ground or whole and give desserts and baked goods like biscotti a licorice flavor. (Dont confuse aniseed with star anise, shown next to the spoon, which is a different spiceit has a similar flavor but is much stronger.)

4. Cloves

Available both whole and ground, they pair well with orange or molasses flavors, and add robust flavor to chocolate and fruit. Youll often find cloves as an added flavor in gingerbread, carrot cake and pumpkin pie.

5. Nutmeg

Warm, sweet and spicy, this adds depth to sweets like pies and custard as well as to savory dishes like white sauces, spinach and squash. You can buy it whole or ground. For the best flavor, grate fresh nutmeg.

6. Cardamom

This warm and aromatic spice is a staple of Indian cuisine and is flavorful in baked goods like shortbread and gingerbread. It pairs well with cinnamon, cloves and chocolate, and is one of the foundation spices in chai.

HOW-TO

MAKE YOUR OWN PUMPKIN PIE SPICE

Mix 4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 2 tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. ground cloves and tsp. ground nutmeg. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

BUYING

Purchase whole spices whenever possible, and grind them yourself as needed. Theyll last longer.

STORING

Store spices in a dark, cool, dry place.

DATING

Spices lose color and flavor as they age, so write the date on jars when you buy them. Toss ground spices after 1 to 3 years and whole spices after 3 to 4 years.

TOASTING

Toasting spices enhances their flavor.

MEASURING

Dont measure spices directly over the bowl. Pour them into your hand first.

You might think that fresh is always best. But for baking, canned pumpkin is king.

When it comes to cooking, its usually a safe assumption that from-scratch just cant be beat, right? However, pumpkin is a major exception. For baking, canned pumpkin (not fresh puree) is best. But why? Our Test Kitchen experts weigh in.

Ease of Use

The idea of going old school sounds like an exciting challenge. But the process of making your own pumpkin pureescooping seeds and stringy stuff, baking, pureeing and strainingcan take up to 2 hours. And then you still have to bake the pie!

Better Taste & Texture

The texture, consistency and flavor of mass-produced canned pumpkin is universal. But fresh pumpkins can vary in the amount of water and sugar content, which can affect flavor and texture.

Year-Round Availability

Although pumpkin is synonymous with autumn and Thanksgiving, serious pumpkin fans want pumpkin more frequently, even when fresh pumpkins arent available. So for availability and convenience alone, canned pumpkin is the best option. If left unopened, canned pumpkin will last until the expiration date printed on the can. (Once opened, canned pumpkin should be refrigerated and used within 5 days.)

Selecting the right chocolate for your recipe is key to experiencing everything this dreamy indulgence has to offer.

Unsweetened Chocolate

Also known as baking or bitter chocolate, unsweetened chocolate has no sugars or added flavors.

Bittersweet and Semisweet Chocolate