Neslihan Koçak
From the vibrant colors of summer to softer hues, transitioning from the multitude of fruits, ice creams and chilled beverages we consume to cool off, we slowly shift to warmer colors, heartwarming drinks, steaming soups and the aroma of delightful cakes and cookies
Do you catch a slight scent of cinnamon when you think of autumn? We’ve gathered alternative recipes for flavors like apple, cinnamon, orange and pumpkin – just the names alone provoke our appetite.
Soups
Creamy pumpkin soup
Ingredients: 1 liter of water
200-300 grams of pumpkin
1 medium-sized potato
1 medium-sized onion
1 clove of garlic
1 packet of cream
1 cup of boiled chickpeas
2 tablespoons of butter
A handful of roasted pumpkin seeds
Salt and optional spices
Instructions: Boil 1 liter of water and add pumpkin, potato, onion, garlic and salt. Cook until they soften.
In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter, add boiled and drained chickpeas. Sauté and season with thyme, mint and red pepper.
Blend the cooked vegetables, add cream and mix. Serve the soup in bowls, garnish with roasted chickpeas and pumpkin seeds.
Leek soup
Ingredients: 3-4 stalks of leeks
2 medium-sized potatoes
1.5 liters of chicken broth
Salt, black pepper
Olive oil
1-2 tablespoons of butter for the topping
Instructions: Clean and chop the leeks. Peel and dice the potatoes. Drizzle some olive oil in a pot, sauté the leeks, add the potatoes, salt and black pepper, pour in the chicken broth, and let it simmer until the ingredients are cooked. Blend it while hot and serve, topping it off with melted butter.
Bon appétit.
Cookies
Pinecone cookies
Ingredients: 100 grams of powdered sugar
100 grams of butter
1 egg
250 grams of flour
50 grams of cocoa powder
½ cup of vegetable oil
50 grams of melted dark chocolate
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ginger
½ teaspoon of ground cloves
½ grated nutmeg
Instructions: Cream butter and sugar, gradually add egg, oil and chocolate, then stop whisking. Add dry ingredients and shape. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) and sprinkle powdered sugar after removing from the oven.
Orange Swiss Roll cookies
Ingredients: 125 grams of butter
1 teacup of vegetable oil
1 teacup of yogurt
1 egg yolk
1 packet of baking powder
As much flour as needed
For the filling: 300 grams of hazelnut paste, 2 oranges (boiled twice, removing the white part of the peel)
Instructions: Mix the dough ingredients, roll dough out onto parchment paper, spread hazelnut paste and arrange orange peels on it. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius until golden, then serve after sprinkling powdered sugar.
Cakes
Carrot Cream cake
Ingredients: 4 eggs
½ cup of brown sugar
1 cup of granulated sugar
¾ cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of strained yogurt
2.5 cups of grated carrots
2.5 cups of flour
1 packet of baking powder
1 packet of vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of salt
1 cup of walnuts
A pinch each of ground cloves, grated nutmeg and ground ginger.
Instructions: Whisk sugar and eggs until white, add yogurt, oil and spices, then stop mixing. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla using a spatula. Finally, add grated carrots and walnuts to the mixture, pour it into a mold and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes. After cooling, decorate the cake with a cream made of 200 grams of cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar mixed with a little cinnamon.
Orange Cake
Ingredients: 3 eggs
1.5 cups of granulated sugar
Grated peel of 1 orange
1 cup of orange juice
½ cup of vegetable oil
2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 packet of baking powder
For the topping: 100 ml of cream 100 grams of dark chocolate
Instructions: Beat eggs and sugar until white, add oil, orange juice and peel, then mix briefly and stop the mixer. Stir in flour, cocoa and baking powder with a spatula and bake in a pre-greased pan at 180 degrees Celsius for 25-30 minutes.
Bring the cream to a boil for the topping, then add chocolate to it and mix until melted. Pour it over the cooled cake.
Finally, a recipe for an extra flavorful apple cinnamon roll, a favorite almost universally loved. I couldn’t decide in which category to place this recipe. The combination of caramel, apple and cinnamon creates a feast for your taste buds. Let’s add a small consumption recommendation here: after taking it out of the oven, make yourself some coffee, play a song that makes you happy while taking bites of your cooled rolls, and savor that moment.
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Dough Ingredients: 500 grams of flour
1.5 packets of yeast
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
2 eggs
250 ml of milk
45 grams of softened butter
Filling: 10 tablespoons of sugar 4 tablespoons of cinnamon 1 medium-sized diced apple 70 grams of softened butter
Caramel Sauce Ingredients: 100 grams of brown sugar
50 grams of powdered sugar
50 grams of butter
50 grams of cream
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 small diced apple
Instructions: For the dough – Mix all the ingredients except for the flour, then knead by adding flour until it doubles in size under a cling film. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, spread softened butter, sprinkle the mix of sugar and cinnamon, add diced apple, roll it up, cut into equal pieces and bake in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius until golden.
For the caramel sauce – heat brown sugar and powdered sugar in a pan until it turns into caramel, then add apple, butter, cream, salt and vanilla. Let it simmer, then turn off the heat.
Lastly, pour the caramel sauce over your baked and cooled rolls before serving.
