Five Recipes to Savor Your Favorite Fall Fruits

Fall is for binging The Gilmore Girls, visiting the pumpkin patch, enjoying bonfires with friends, cozying up by the fireplace, and enjoying all of the fresh, seasonal flavors fall has to offer like cranberries, pears, figs, and so many more. To really savor your favorite fall flavors give these taste recipes a try.

Fresh Cranberry Orange Scones

What could be better than warm cranberry scones on a cool fall morning? We don’t have an answer for that frankly because we simply don’t know. These scones are as sweet as they are tart with sugary crisp edges and fluffy soft centers. Check out this recipe from Fork Knife Swoon.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
• ¾ cup  whole milk, plus more for topping
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• Coarse sanding sugar, for topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
3. Use a pastry blender to incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients, until a shaggy, sandy mixture forms, with butter pieces about the size of large peas.
4. Drizzle the milk and vanilla over the crumbs, and use a spatula to stir until mostly combined.
5. When the crumbs are mostly moistened, switch to using your hands, and fold in the cranberries.
6. Gently and firmly knead the dough together, until all of the flour mixture is combined, and the dough holds together in a large clump. Work quickly so the butter doesn’t warm too much, and be careful not to overwork the dough.
7. Shape the dough into a flat, round disk, about 1½ inches thick. If your bowl is large enough, you can do this in the bowl, or on a lightly floured surface. It does not have to be perfectly round. Some craggy, irregular edges are okay!
8. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the dough into 6 equal wedges.
9. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, leaving a few inches of space between them. Lightly brush the tops of the scones with milk, and sprinkle with the sanding sugar.
10. Bake 20-30 minutes, until the scones are lightly golden brown, gently puffed, and cooked through. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Oatmeal Pear Crumb Bars

Shortbread crust and rich, gooey spiced pears topped with a crispy crumble make for the perfect fall breakfast, dessert, gathering, or cozy night in. These bars are super simple to throw together and are a great way to use up those perfectly ripened fall pears. Check out this recipe from The Roasted Root.

Ingredients:

For the Shortbread Crust and Topping:

• ½ cup coconut oil or butter melted**
• 1⅓ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup***
• Pinch sea salt

For the Pear Filling:

• 3 large ripe pears sliced
• ¼ cup water
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup***
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground nutmeg optional
• 1 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour*
• Pinch sea salt

For the Glaze (Optional):

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp water or lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper (an 8-inch square pan works too).
2. Mix all of the ingredients for the crust and crumble topping in a mixing bowl until everything is well-combined (coconut oil or butter, gluten-free all-purpose flour, oats, sea salt, and granulated sugar or pure maple syrup).
3. Measure out ½ cup of the mixture and set it aside to use later for topping the bars.
4. Transfer the rest of the oat mixture to the parchment-lined baking pan and press it into an even layer for the bottom crust. It may seem like there isn’t enough crust at first, but don’t worry – it will all press nicely into a solid layer.
5. Poke the crust several times with a fork and bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until it is golden brown around the edges.
6. Combine pears, water, pure maple syrup, salt, and ground cinnamon in a saucepan and stir well. Cover and heat over medium-high heat on the stovetop and bring the mixture to a full boil.
7. Once boiling, stir in the gluten-free all-purpose flour and continue cooking for another 2-5 minutes, until the pears have softened and the juices are nice and thick.
8. Transfer the pear mixture to the prepared baked crust and spread it into an even layer.
9. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture (remaining dough) over the pear layer. Bake 22-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden-brown.
10. Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely (to room temperature) before slicing into squares.
11. If you’d like, you can make an easy powdered sugar glaze by stirring together 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 Tbsp of water or lemon juice.
    Serve and enjoy!

Oatmeal Fig Cookies

These cookies are no more than a fun twist on traditional oatmeal raisin cookies. Figs are naturally sweet so not only do they add an unexpected chewy, fruity pop, but their sweetness pairs beautifully (and deliciously!) with a soft oatmeal cookie. Check out this recipe from Owl B. Baking.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• 1½ cup quick-cooking oats
• ½ cup dried figs, diced with the stems removed

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Measure the oats into a food processor. Pulse several times until the oats are about half in size. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer combine the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg and vanilla; mix until well blended.
5. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
7. Gently fold in the oats and figs.
8. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
9. Using a 1½ Tbsp cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the baking tray leaving about 2-2½ inches apart. Flatten slightly using the tips of your fingers.
10. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool fully on the tray before serving.

Hot Baked Fruit

Not only is this easy to make and healthy to eat, but your home will smell amazing while your fruit is baking. This dish is unique in that you can choose what fruit goes into the oven according to your liking. Fall flavors we recommend include apples, pears, persimmons, cranberries and/or raisins. If you want, make this an extra sweet dish by serving your baked fall fruit over ice cream. Check out this recipe from Maria Ushakova.

Ingredients:

• 2 apples, cored and sliced
• 2 pears, cored and sliced
• 2 persimmons, sliced
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• ½ cup raisins
• 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spread the fruits on a baking dish in an even layer.
2. Pour the lemon juice over the fruits. Evenly, sprinkle the lemon zest and cinnamon.
3. Add the raisins and cranberries. Pour the melted coconut oil over the fruit.
4. Bake the fruits for about 35-45 minutes. The time needed will depend on the size of the fruit slices and the ripeness of the fruit. Toss the fruits before serving.

Baked Apple Fritters

These simple and sinful baked apple fritters are the perfect excuse to spend a day at the apple orchard this fall. Make these fritters bite-sized or large and in charge, as long as they’re drizzled with glave, not much else matters. Check out this recipe from No Dash of Gluten.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup white whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp butter, cold and cut into pieces
• ½ cup milk (the higher the fat content, the richer the flavor)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped apple

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk (a higher percentage of fat works the best)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (if it’s suitable for broiling). Or use it without a mat for cleaning.
2. In a bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Add the butter diced into pieces and mix it into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. In a bowl whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla extract. Pour this mixture into the ingredients and stir until they are just combined. Carefully fold in the chopped apple.
4. Using a measuring cup of ¼ cup capacity drop portions of the batter onto the baking sheet. If you prefer smaller fritters use a heaping tablespoon of batter for each.
   Bake for 11-13 minutes until the bottoms turn brown and the centers become firm. If you’re making smaller fritters start checking for doneness at 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven. Switch to broil mode.
5. While waiting for the oven to heat up for broiling prepare the glaze by whisking together confectioners’ sugar with milk and vanilla extract until you achieve consistency. Brush a layer of glaze, over each fritter.
6. Put the fritters underneath the broiler. Let them cook for 2-4 minutes until the tops begin to take on a golden hue and the glaze starts to bubble.
7. Take out the baking sheet from the oven carefully and move the fritters onto a wire rack. Brush the remaining glaze, onto the fritters while they are still warm.