Fall is all about apples, pumpkins and caramel, which is exactly what most of these recipes consist of. As college students with not too much money left to spend by this time of the semester, a quick recipe is probably the better option to enjoy some fall comfort food or drinks.
Apple Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of crescent rolls (Pillsbury)
- 1 cup butter
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cup Mountain Dew (to help the dumplings bake nicely)
- 2 apples of your choice (granny smith is recommended)
1. Preheat oven to 350 and butter a pan that is about 13 x 9 in.
2. Peel, core and cut the apples into wedges
3. Roll each apple wedge into a strip of crescent roll and place into the buttered pan
4. Separately melt the butter into a saucepan over low heat and add in brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Cook until the mixture thickens.
5. Pour mixture over dumplings
6. Pour soda from the side of the pan
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until the dumplings are golden brown
Pumpkin French Toast
Will make about 9 slices
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 9 slices of bread of your choice
- Butter for the pan/griddle
1. Preheat pan or griddle to medium heat
2. Whisk all wet and dry ingredients in a bowl
3. Transfer mix into shallow dish
4. Butter the pan or griddle and dip bread slice in mixture (don’t let the bread soak in the mixture, it won’t cook all the way through)
5. Cook on pan or griddle until golden brown
Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- A pinch of ground ginger
- Sea salt to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Coat baking dish with cooking spray
3. Peel and dice sweet potatoes. Place in baking dish
4. Mix sweet potatoes with olive oil and spices
5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, stirring a few times periodically
Salted Caramel Pumpkin Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 stick of butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 can of pumpkin pure
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add brown sugar and whisk the mixture
2. Stir in sweetened condensed milk when mixture turns chocolate brown. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer on low for 5 minutes
3. Add vanilla and ½ teaspoon of sea salt
4. In a bowl, mix pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and ½ teaspoon of sea salt. Pour in half of the caramel mixture from the saucepan into the bowl and mix
5. Spread mixture on bottom of an 8 x 11 glass pan. Pour rest of caramel sauce on top
6. Can be served warm or cold (after it’s refrigerated for an hour) with apple slices or graham crackers
Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients:
- Medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts trimmed & halved (optional)
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1 apple cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 medium red or yellow onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Spread butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, apple and onion onto a baking sheet
3. In small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, brown sugar and curry powder. Pour over vegetables and toss
4. Roast for 45 minutes and stir occasionally. Continue to roast until vegetables are browned and tender
Apple Cider Floats
Ingredients:
- Apple cider
- Ice cream (can use dairy free ice cream instead if you want)
- Caramel ice cream topping
- Cinnamon
1. Add 2 scoops of ice cream in a glass and drizzle caramel on top
2. Add cinnamon
3. Pour apple cider until ice cream is covered
4. Add another scoop of ice cream and drizzle caramel on top
5. Add more cinnamon if needed
Pumpkin Apple Butter
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 baked apple (chopped then cooked in microwave until soft)
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, honey or agave
1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat
2. Continuously stir for 10 minutes
3. Let mixture cool after taking it off the stove and place in a jar to preserve
Caramel Apple Sangria
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle of white wine
- 1 bottle sparkling apple cider
- ¼ cup caramel syrup
- 3-4 apples chopped
1. Chill wine and sparkling apple cider
2. Mix wine and sparkling apple cider
3. Add caramel syrup
4. Chop apples into cubes and add to sangria