Jumping into the universal renowned question of what is considered the ideal fall recipe in the eyes of others
As fall is yet to make its yearly entrance this upcoming October, we should talk about its nostalgic upbringings of pumpkin spice flavors to its aesthetic fashion. I’d say this feeling can range from comfy clothes to tasty recipes, recipes in which most individuals believe would ideally be categorized as a fall recipe. However, what makes a recipe a “fall recipe,” and why do some flavors make us feel so cozy and remind us of old traditions? One might think of things like pumpkin pie or pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks.
Those are great examples but the cool thing about fall recipes is that they’re personal. There’s no right or wrong answer; it’s about the flavors you like and the memories they bring back. For me, pumpkin cinnamon muffins are the best fall treat. I think they’re perfect to eat when the leaves change from green to brown on a cloudy Sunday morning in Oct. The warm spice, soft texture and sweet taste gather together to construct a perfect fall experience. Kylie Gotwals ‘26 said, “I would consider a [fall recipe] to be something pumpkin or apple or anything with a lot of spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg. One of my ideal fall recipes would be pumpkin muffins. They’re super delicious, super moist. I would add strudel in there as well.”
But why does a recipe feel “fall-like”? Could it be because it uses ingredients like pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg? Kamila Jimenez ‘26 said, “I’d probably consider apple pie or pumpkin pie as a [fall recipe] because it just reminds me of carving pumpkins and eating at Thanksgiving.”
Or rather the heavier, more comforting foods that are different from the lighter foods of summer. Sarai Avalos ‘26 said, “I would consider cinnamon rolls like a [fall recipe] for its warm feeling of fall and the yummy smell of cinnamon which go well together.” Or it could be because they remind us of getting together with family, traditions, and getting ready for the holidays. Culinary teacher Kayla Hernandez said, “A [fall recipe] to me feels like you need it to be warm and cozy. You know, you want whatever you’re cooking on the stove top or putting in the oven, you want it to have those aromatics and those aromas that come out and it just makes you think, fall, like it just smells good, yummy. I love to bake and something that I find it to be in between savory and sweet is focaccia bread and what I do during the fall time is I will take the normal focaccia recipe in which you don’t know what focaccia its a type of airy bread that has a crunch on the top but then softness throughout it and it got holes in it so when I bake with it and if I put cinnamon on top, whatever I put on top of it it sinks into the holes and so for fall I like to put cinnamon in it but then I also like to put an icing topping, so as soon as it comes out of the oven I’ll pop it out of the pan and then I’ll pour that glaze over the top so that it just kind of oozes into it and then I let it set and then you kinda just pull it apart kinda like monkey bread but its focaccia and it’s just that perfect little bit of savory and sweet together.”
Whatever the reason, fall recipes are special to us, which leave us with various possibilities of viewing certain types of recipes as fall recipes.
