By End of January. Groundhog day Friday. Josie was pleased with the early spring prediction and distressed later to learn it had been wrong in previous years.
Drove Tuesday, short.
Book two revision at 30%.
Gayle had a quiet week. She was in her chair in the sunroom most mornings. She read a book I brought her from the library. She said, "This is a good book." I said, "I'm glad, Ma."
Saturday we celebrated Dave's uncle Jim's 90th birthday at a restaurant in Grand Island with Dave's extended family. Gayle stayed home; too much. Dave and I went, left at 9 to come home.
Sunday: beef stew.
That Sunday after the birthday dinner, after the quiet week with Gayle in the sunroom and the long drive home from Grand Island, I just wanted to be in the kitchen with the oven going and the smell of something real filling the house. It’s the kind of day that calls for recipes that don’t rush you—the ones from this collection I keep coming back to every year when the light is low and the ground is still frozen and you need the warmth to come from somewhere. These are my go-to fall baking recipes, the ones that make a Sunday feel like it was worth the whole week before it.
25+ Best Fall Baking Recipes
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole-milk buttermilk
- 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan or a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Alternate wet and dry. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until no dry streaks remain—do not overmix.
- Fold in mix-ins. If using raisins, dried cranberries, or nuts, gently fold them in by hand with a rubber spatula.
- Bake. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40–48 minutes for a loaf (or 18–22 minutes for muffins), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is deep golden brown.
- Cool and serve. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Slice and serve warm, or wrap tightly once fully cooled to store for up to 3 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 340 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 50g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg