As leaves begin to change color and our state of mind shifts from the carefree, airy tone of summer towards the comfy, crisp mood of fall, many of us turn to our favorite seasonal treats to help ease the transition. These autumn baked goods are part of the cozy season’s spirit, and they help bring friends and family together as food always does. In order to celebrate the new season, DV students have shared their favorite bites for fall that their classmates can make to share together with loved ones. 

Pumpkin Spice Brownies

Brownies have always been a classic in every season, but they are especially essential for autumn, adding to the cozy mood with their chocolatey and gooey texture that melts in your mouth. This specific recipe is catered to make brownies that contain both pumpkin and cinnamon, two necessary ingredients for the fall theme. 

Senior Riyana Sarna, who started baking when the pandemic started in her seventh grade of middle school to pass the time, makes these pumpkin spice brownies every fall, mentioning that it took her four years to perfect this recipe. 

Over the four years, Sarna perfected her recipe to make “the outside [of the brownie] crispy and the inside soft. As time went on, I learned that you have to weigh out your ingredients, mix them separately [and a whole lot of other small tricks that would make the brownies less] lumpy and cakey.” 

Sarna added on, explaining the story behind how these brownies came alive. “I first started making brownies in eighth grade because my brother would always want me to make them, and I love pumpkin, so I started incorporating [it and also cinnamon] every single fall to make the brownies fall-themed.” 

Occasionally, Sarna also adds cinnamon icing to the pumpkin spice brownies to give them that extra fall feel. 

For Sarna, there is a special memory connected to this dish. “Every time my family comes over, they always ask me to make it,” she said. “[I usually make them for] my aunt, she really likes them, and she compliments them every single time she eats them.” 

These pumpkin spice brownies are ones meant to be shared with your family — it doesn’t matter whether it be with your younger brother, aunt or even grandma — as long as you make meaningful memories while eating them! 

By taking a further step to eating these brownies with a glass of cold milk, as Sarna suggests, you can have an even better experience. Though milk may usually be reserved for eating with chocolate chip cookies, this combination of pumpkin spice brownies fuses the crispy fall flavors with the sweetness and refreshing milk, creating not only the perfect blend inside your mouth but also lasting reminders of how food can bring people together. 

Apple Pie

Similar to pumpkin spice brownies, apple pie is also a dish meant to be shared with loved ones. Its warm, crispy crust combined with the sweetness of the baked apples makes it perfect to enjoy on a cozy afternoon during the holiday season.

Freshman Ishani Awasthi usually bakes apple pie, one of her favorite autumn desserts, and other dishes for her fellow scouts during their campouts. 

Though Awasthi usually makes her pie in a Dutch oven, this recipe can be made in any oven. She also added that this recipe is best made using Honey Crisp Apples, the sweetest apples, in order to get the best pie possible. 

Awasthi has been baking ever since she was a little girl, motivated by her mom. “She kind of inspired me to become a cook, and explore this hobby, and she would teach me all these really cool recipes, and we would cook together, [which] brought us really close.”

She added on, mentioning how she further developed her cooking skills thanks to being in Boy Scouts. “I really had to step up as a cook in my group. When we go on campouts, we need people to cook food for us because no adult can do it for us.”

Awasthi tells us about a certain memory she had while on a campout with her fellow scouts that brought them all closer together. “All my scout friends were hanging out together on a tarp. There was like a nice wind, and my friends were all eagerly waiting for the apple pie to be made, because I was making a Dutch oven. [Afterward,] we just ate the pie, hung out and we played cards. It was a really fun time.”

After eating the apple pie, Awasthi also described her feelings, saying that she thought “it was really satisfying in the end because it turned out really, really well. In the end, it just tastes so good and cinnamony, and you just get like, all these like flavors in your mouth, which is really good.”

This apple pie, which is filled with fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg and apples, has the perfect cozying effect that brings anyone together. 

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

In autumn specifically, pumpkin spice cookies are a must due to their connection to fall. They have various fall flavors like cinnamon, pumpkin and nutmeg. After combining all of these flavors and a couple of other essential ingredients, the perfect fall cookie is made and ready to be eaten. 

Junior Angel Adeoti, who owns the baking business, Angel’s Oven, has been baking ever since she took Culinary Arts in middle school. 

“The teacher was really nice, and she helped me, and I guess that made me fall in love with baking. And after that, I kept all my recipes [which I still use today,” she said. 

Adeoti also mentioned that the key to making these cookies is to “be patient and use trial and error. For some reason, it doesn’t go right, don’t say ‘I’m never gonna bake again,’ just try again and it will turn out differently. You can make the corrections if needed.”

She also added how she often shares her baked goods with her friends. “My friends, my [cheer team specifically] really like them.” 

These pumpkin spice cookies are more than just a fall treat — they help shape the community. Food has always been a way to bring people together, and these cookies remind us about how even something simple can create connection and warmth between people. 

The best way to enjoy this fall treat is to eat it while watching your favorite fall movie, as the various fall flavors that are mixed in with these pumpkin spice cookies create a blend of warmth, nostalgia and comfort in every bite. 

Autumn treats are a part of the fall spirit; without them, we would never be able to have all of those meaningful memories that are shared with family and friends. Though there are many fall recipes out on the widespread internet, these three recipes are ones cherished by our own DV students.