Fall is finally here! Even though Cleveland’s weather hates following the seasons, it has been officially fall since September 23rd.
Now, I am going to share a story with you all. A long time ago, I used to LOVE pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. Then, I had a really weird experience. I found a piece of plastic in my mouth after taking a sip of my PSL. It was disgusting. That was when I decided Starbucks is a definite NO and thought maybe I should stick to local coffee shops.
For about three years, I gave up on pumpkin spice and just drank plain lattes and chai teas. This fall, I decided it was time to give pumpkin spice a second chance. Now, here we are, I tried a few pumpkin spice flavored foods around Cleveland and I wanted to share my favorites so if you’re feeling the fall pumpkin spirit, you can get right to it!
Here is what I loved and suggest to buy for a fun fall treat!
Pumpkin spice cupcakes from The White Flower Cake Shoppe
I felt very strongly about these, they were so delicious! The right amount of cream cheese frosting with caramel drizzle was placed nicely on top of the pumpkin-flavored cupcakes. As I took my first bite, I knew fall was here!
Purely Elizabeth Pumpkin Cinnamon Ancient Grain Granola
Add this granola to yogurt bowls in the morning or an after school energy snack. It’s definitely a yummy seasonal treat. Purely Elizabeth is one of my newest favorite granola places. For the past few weeks, I have been enjoying the Purely Elizabeth Chocolate Salted Peanut Butter Granola and thought I would try a seasonal version. The good thing about granola is even if you are rushing to school, you can grab a handful of this and take it on the go with you! You can buy this at Whole Foods or even Amazon.
Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream by Mitchell’s Ice Cream
Ah, this was delicious! I went to the Van Aken Mitchell’s two Thursdays ago and wanted to try this for fun. I ended up loving it! The creamy fall pumpkin taste with a hint of cinnamon tasted really good. Not sure what happened to my cone in this photo, but it was delicious too. If you need a pick me up after school/work in Shaker, head over to Van Aken Mitchells for a sweet fall treat. You will feel the coziness of fall flavors all in one scoop.
Pumpkin Spice Scones with a Maple Pecan Glaze from Sugar Me Desserterie in Chagrin Falls
First of all, shout out to Sugar Me Desserterie in Chagrin Falls. This is my family’s GO TO place for all birthday cakes. They are the absolute best! All their treats are just so delicious. Cookies, brownies, lemon bars and cupcakes! But…back to the seasonal inspired, pumpkin spiced scone with maple pecan glaze – amazing! It was quite a decadent treat. Very yummy. I split it into multiple pieces so I could enjoy it throughout the weekend. The scone had a warm pumpkin cinnamon taste and a maple glaze on top, what could be bad?
Pumpkin Spice tea, optional add honey and cinnamon
What is a better way to end the night than with a fall tea? The fall flavors are super prominent in this drink. Check it out at your local grocery store. It tastes a lot like a mix of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread
Tap on “Cook With Me” to watch the fun video of me making the treat!
This was easy to make and was a real crowd pleaser! I had fun making a really quick video with a catchy, fun song shows just how easy this was! Check it out here. The preparation time was around 5 minutes and then I popped it in the oven for 55 minutes. I would suggest mixing it up, putting it in the oven, and then doing some homework while you wait for it to cook. It will be done before you know it. I have a great homemade maple cream cheese frosting you can add to the top if you want to make this more of a dessert. Here’s the recipe. I usually only make baked goods from scratch but this was a great alternative to save a little time! The next morning, a few people came over for a meeting with my mom and dad and my mom served this with coffee. The guests really liked it and ate it right up! Even my dog jumped up on the counter to try. Sorry to say, that was the last of it. Good thing it’s so easy to make again.
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Coffee
I found a big box of pumpkin spice coffee and thought why not try it. The following morning I had a cup, this tasted very similar to the tee, lots of the same prominent fall flavors, yet it was coffee. The smell was really strong and the taste was really good. The first sip caught me off guard because it was so bold, but I did end up thinking it was yummy and warm.
Patterson Fruit Farm – everything, doughnuts, apples, fritters, and pies
If you want to go all out for fall, you gotta head to Patterson Fruit Farm. Ever since I was little, I would take trips up there in fall to go apple picking or pick up pumpkins for carving and yummy apple fritters for eating. Some of my favorite fall memories were there. Last Sunday, I went and tried the pumpkin cinnamon donut, a pumpkin donut with buttercream cheese frosting and a glazed pumpkin donut. These were like nothing else I’ve ever had. They were AMAZINGLY delicious. All the right fall flavors together in a sweet donut. I will definitely be back for more of these and highly recommend you get there to try them while they make them. My weekend was complete after my beautiful drive on a colorful fall day out to Pattersons and back with a dozen donuts!
Here is what I wouldn’t rush out to get, not actually worth the splurge!
Pumpkin Chai from Nervous Dog
I am a big Nervous Dog customer. Every Friday morning, I usually get a cup of coffee before school starts to treat myself for my hard work for the past week. Sadly, I wasn’t a big fan of the pumpkin and chai mixed together. They are two very important flavors and I think they should be kept separate. I really love the regular chai, but personally, I didn’t enjoy the chai and pumpkin flavors together.
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Biscotti
I really like biscottis but this one did not satisfy my fall taste buds. I am more of a vanilla almond biscotti person, so I guess the flavoring just threw me.
Those are my pumpkin suggestions for the season. I hope you enjoyed this post. It is starting to get chilly in Cleveland so make sure you find warmth and coziness whether it’s in a rich cup of coffee, a decadent fall dessert or a comfy beanie hat and big wooly sweater. It’s that time a year again and you want to make the most of it. Crazy to say but Thanksgiving is only ONE month away, I can’t wait to hang out with all of my family again and celebrate the holidays. It’s such a nice time of the year, don’t you think?
Let me know your FAV fall treats in Cleveland or around your town! Let us know quickly so we can try them before they are gone!
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