Fall Baking Essentials for Students

Student-Friendly Recipes for Study Sessions, Late Nights, and Crisp Autumn Mornings

Fringe ArtsKathleen Champoux — Published October 12, 2022 | Updated October 13, 2022 at 9:00am 3 minutes

Pumpkin Spice Coffee

We all love a good pumpkin spice latte, but paying upwards of seven dollars per cup is not friendly to a student budget. So, why not make it yourself? 

You’ll need:

Coffee or tea of your choice

½ cup of milk 

1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin

½ teaspoon of pumpkin spice seasoning 

½ teaspoon of cinnamon 

2 ½ teaspoons of sugar 

Whipped cream (optional)

Start by brewing your coffee or tea. While that finishes up, head to the stovetop. In a pot, combine the milk, pumpkin, and spices. Over low heat, constantly stir the milk until it is warm, bubbling slightly, and everything is mixed. 

Once the milk is ready and the coffee or tea is hot, pour the milk into your drug of choice and top with whipped cream and extra cinnamon. Delicious! 

Quick and Easy Apple Pear Pie

You can’t have a hot beverage without something to snack on, right? Be it on a cozy night in or gobbled up on your way out the door, pies using fresh fall fruits can never disappoint. (Bonus, it’s plant based!)

You’ll need:

For the filling:

4 apples

4 pears

2  teaspoons of cinnamon 

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

For the crust:

Cold water

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

½ cup of vegetable shortening 

1 ½ cups of flour 

Start by preheating the oven to 375°F, then begin chopping and peeling your apples and pears, reserving a few slices of each to decorate the top of the pie. Mix the fruits in a large bowl, adding the cinnamon and brown sugar. Let that sit while you make the crust.

In a separate bowl, slowly add the flour, shortening, and margarine. When mixed, stream in the cold water to form a more cohesive dough. When the dough is able to be rolled into a ball but is no longer sticky, split it in two. Spread one section of the dough into the bottom of your pie plate and reserve the other half for the top. 

Place the pie plate in the oven for ten minutes or until the edges of the crust start to brown. Then, add the filing and spread the other half of your dough over the top. Decorate with the reserved fruits. Continue to bake for another 30 minutes or until the pie is brown and bubbling. 

Let it cool, and enjoy! 

Savoury Pumpkin Biscuits

We’ve covered coffee and desserts, but what about something savory? These pumpkin biscuits are perfect as a side dish, or warmed up in the morning with some butter. 

You’ll need:

2 cups of flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

A pinch of salt

⅓ cup of shortening

¾ cup of milk

¾ cup of canned pumpkin

Start by preheating the oven to 450°F. Then mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Once combined, cut the shortening into pieces and add it in along with the milk and mix. It should give a very dry dough. Add the pumpkin and mix again. 

The dough might be a little sticky at this stage. Flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Flour the top of the dough then use a rolling pin or a wine bottle to spread it to about a half inch tall, adding flour as needed. 

A circular dough cutter works best, but any cookie cutter you have will do. Get the shapes out of the dough and add them to a cookie sheet. Bake them for 12 minutes. Take them out when they’re starting to brown. 

Let them cool off slightly, split them in half, and eat with your favorite spreads! 

Enjoy

Creating fall treats is a great way to warm your space and your plate. Most of these recipes use the same main ingredients in different ways to make sure you stay on budget while still being able to add some fall spirit to your dishes.