It’s officially fall and we’re here for it! As you embrace the familiar buzz that accompanies the end of summer, the start of a normal-ish new school year, and the return of (hopefully) fall sports and tailgates, it’s time to set some autumn intentions. Beyond the heavyweight champion of fall festivities, apple picking, there is so much fun to be had with treasures from your local orchard and other farm fresh ingredients. We love a good seed to table baking story and in the spirit of fresh fall flavors, have pulled together four recipes that taste great all the time, but are eeeeven better when made with healthy, locally sourced ingredients. And even though you may not be picking a fresh bag of Flourish high fiber flour off the tree this fall, rest assured that our flour is sourced from farmers that take great pride in growing the signature wheat we’re known for, while being paid a premium for their efforts. Welcome to fall baking season and let the treats begin!

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Deep-fried, dashed with cinnamon and filled with apples, these show-stopping apple fritters are best served hot and fresh out the kitchen with a piping hot cup of coffee. Our personal fave sweet and crisp apple varieties to prep these with are Granny Smith and Honeycrisp, so plan your trips to the orchard accordingly so you can snag a bag when they’re scheduled for picking! From one baker to another, do NOT overmix the batter: that’s a one way ticket to a chewy, tough fritter which is not how these soft, crumbly and scrumptious treats are best enjoyed. These apple fritters are really meant to be eaten ASAP, so if you’re planning on eating these for breakfast one morning, make sure you recruit enough hungry mouths to polish these off before breakfast comes the next day. But if your kitchen’s like ours, that probably won’t be an issue.

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Whether you call it a crisp, a grunt, a duff or a cobbler, the sweet, mild, thick and bubbly blueberry flavor rounding out each bite is all you need to pair with a bonfire and blanket for the perfect fall evening. This recipe calls for four cups of blueberries, which is about one and a half pounds, so next time you’re at the farmers market, pick up a few pounds of fresh blueberries for the cobbler and if you don’t use them all, throw ‘em in the freezer for later. Pro tip on prepping your baking pan: warm the pan in the oven as it preheats WITH the butter in it. The melted butter will seep into the cobbler for that rich finish. Once the biscuit-style topping is a light golden brown and looks “cobbled” and coarse, rather than smooth like a pie crust, it’s time to remove the cobbler from the oven. Topped with a fresh scoop of your favorite vanilla bean ice cream and you’re ready to dig in.

Moist, but not oily, spice-y but not overpowering, this carrot cake recipe will make a believer out of even the most fervent anti-carrot caker. With two layers, AKA two separate cakes stacked on top of one another, you’re going to want to prepare the kids to see some serious culinary magic happening in the kitchen (even though it’s super simple to pull off easily - we won’t tell). The fiber in the pecans, carrots, raisins and Flourish all purpose flour adds up to a carrot cake that features fiber and flavor, which isn’t the case with most whole wheat flours. That’s why we pay our farmers the well-deserved big bucks: so that there’s no compromise on nutrition OR taste. To cap off this recipe, we love the color and sweet, nutty crunch that chopped pistachios provide, sprinkled on top. Grab a fork and your favorite people and enjoy!

With a buttery, flakey rich base mixed with the sharpness of cheddar cheese, balanced out with mild, yet tangy spinach, this scone recipe is a delicious, filling, homey anchor for any fall brunch spread. The prep for these spinach and cheddar scones is hands on, literally, so if you’ve got some kiddos ready to go “all hands on counter” with the ingredients, you’re in luck. With scones, as with many baked delicacies, temperature control and rest are important, so keep an eye out for which ingredients need to be cold, frozen, chilled and left to rest. Totally up to you, of course, but once these are out of the oven and cooled for a few minutes, we love a melty square of butter atop the scone that slowly melts and becomes one with the scone. 

By supporting orchards and farmers markets, you’re supporting the hard working men and women of rural communities that, like so many of us, have endured hardship over the last 18 months. With every purchase of Flourish all purpose flour, you’re enabling us to pay our wheat farmers a 30% premium to ensure the highest quality high fiber flour possible. All these individual actions and decisions add up to stronger, more sustainable food systems that can improve health and well-being for families across the country. Thank you for supporting local and for being intentional about building stronger, healthier families!

Together in baking, 

Flourish Flour Family