4 Delicious and Cheap Desserts to Make This Fall

I love fall for so many reasons. Being able to bake delicious seasonal warm desserts is one of them.

I think I’ve said it before, but I’m a major foodie. I love trying new food and I love baking sweets. They taste soooo much better than most store-bought goods and they are way cheaper than anything local bakers sell.

If you’re looking for some delicious but cheap fall desserts to indulge over this weekend, here are 4 of my favorites.

1. Homemade Pumpkin Pie

You can’t get through fall without a yummy homemade pumpkin pie. I used to be a sweet potato pie person, but that was before I started pureeing my own pumpkin and making pies from scratch. They always turn out so yummy, and you can get so much bang for your buck so I end up making a ton of pies and other pumpkin flavored treats for family, friends, and neighbors.

I’ve always used this recipe when preparing my pumpkin pie but I’m not going to lie, I cheat a little bit and use store bought crust so I haven’t actually made the crust from scratch, but it tastes great anyway nonetheless.

The Key to the Perfect-Tasting Pumpkin Pie

The key is to nail the flavor of course which is pumpkin spice, so you need to make sure you include all of these seasonings or you can purchase a ‘pumpkin spice’ seasoning that has all of them blended together already.

I always use:

• Vanilla Extract
• Ginger
• Ground Cloves
• Allspice
• Cinnamon

How to Puree Your Pumpkin

If you’re buying the canned pumpkin from the store for your pies, it may be cheap but you’re missing out. Pureeing a fresh pumpkin tastes better and is probably better for you. You can start with a smaller pie pumpkin or a larger pumpkin.

If you buy about 2 pie pumpkins, that will allow you to make about 4 pies. If you do get a larger pumpkin, you can always make a ton of puree and free the extra to make other recipes later in the season or throughout the year since you can freeze it for up to 12 months. Once you have your pumpkin, follow these steps.

Step 1: Cut your pumpkin in halves or 4 pieces.

Step 2: Scoop out the seeds, rinse them, and drain them (you can roast them later in the over with oil and salt for a savory snack

Step 3: Places your pumpkin pieces in the over with the skin side up.

Step 4: Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the skin on the pumpkin looks like it’s peeling and the pumpkin gets soft.

Step 5: Take the pumpkin out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Then, peel the skin off which should be easy to do.

Step 6: Cut the pumpkin up into chunks and blend either in a food processor or blender. This will allow it to turn into a puree. It the pumpkin glop is super thick, I usually always add a little water.

Pureeing your own pumpkin and making a pie from scratch may sound like a feat at first, but it’s definitely worth it. Plus, if you make enough the first time around and purchase all your seasonings, you’ll be set for the whole year.

2. Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin pancakes are super easy to make and can double as either breakfast item or a dessert. If you’ve whipped up some pumpkin puree, this is an additional way to use it. I’m not a huge recipe person and usually, whip these pancakes up with my own random measurements, but here is a good recipe I found and you can just use about 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree.

In addition to the puree, you need:

• Sugar
• Flower
• An Egg
• Milk
• Nutmeg

Don’t forget to top your pancakes with cinnamon and whipped cream!

3. Stuffed Baked Apples with Maple Yogurt Cream

If you’re looking for something lighter to snack on that has less sugar, this recipe is great to try.

It includes:

• Fresh Apples
• Rolled Oats
• Dried Fruit
• Cinnamon
• Ground Cloves
• Plain whole-milk yogurt

Yum!

4. Apple-Spice Cupcakes

Don’t have time to bake from scratch? Not everyone has an hour or more on hand some days to prep and prepare their favorite dessert. This is why sometimes I try boxed cake mixes and they always do the trick. Spice cake has the perfect flavor for fall and a box of cake mix is usually less than $2 in most stores.

Sometimes I add my own flair by cutting up chunks of fresh apple and throwing them into the mixture. You can even add pumpkin puree to your spice cake cupcakes and decorate the frosting when you’re done.