Fall and winter are a time for togetherness and reflecting on the year. For many families coming together around the dinner table, an assortment of seasonal foods plays an important role in bringing to life timely flavors.
For many, seasonal favorites in#clude flavors such as pumpkin, peppermint, hazelnut and cinnamon. Of
course, the foods that represent fall are endless, especially in a melting pot of culture in the United States, but certain foods have become staples during the fall and winter seasons.
Fall and winter favorite foods include pumpkin and pecan pie, gingerbread, spiced lattes, peppermint
candies, eggnog and other holiday favorites.
Pumpkin spice doesn’t contain any pumpkin but refers to a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice, and are traditionally used for spicing pumpkin pies.
The ancient Romans widely used peppermint for culinary and medicinal purposes, which quickly evolved into use as a candy cane as a treat given to children during Christmas. The tradition quickly caught on in the United States, which produced the majority of the world’s peppermint.
Eggnog, first known as posset to the British aristocracy, made its way into the United States, but Americans changed the recipe to include rum, a local alternative to the sherry included in the British version.
Kupcake Kitchen
This season Kupcake Kitchen is offering a selection of flavors, including classic Swiss chocolate cocoa bombs, carrot spiced cake, pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate cupcakes filled with Nutella, topped with hazelnut chocolate frosting and many more seasonal food items.
Kupcake Kitchen is located at 27737 Bouquet Canyon Rd Ste 120, 91350. www.kupcakekitchen.com
Undergrounds Coffeehouse
The coffeehouse is fully embracing the seasonal flavors with an assortment of comfort sweets and drinks that remind us fall is here. They’re serving up drinks that include pump#the community response is positive, and they often will run out of their seasonal menu items but she recommends trying the white chocolate peppermint scone.
Honu Coffee is located at 22722 Ly#ons Ave., 91321. www.honucoffee.com
XRO Fresh Churro Bar
Churros are enjoyable year-round and have become a staple in Spanish-influenced cuisine. The churro bar makes its delicious cinnamon treats fresh. They pair well with the seasonal beverages offered, including peppermint hot chocolate, pepper#mint mocha latte, pumpkin spice latte and dulce de leche latte.
The owner of XRO Fresh Churro Bar, Nathan Santillana, recommends trying the peppermint Mexican hot chocolate because it’s a great match with the traditional fresh churros. “For this beautiful time of the year, incorporating these traditional flavors to our Mexican hot chocolate and dulce de leche is an experience that you will want to discover,” Santillana said.
They are located at 24450 Main St., Unit 100, 91321. www.freshxrobar.com.
The Loaf Bakery and Cafe
A Japanese-inspired bakery featuring many freshly baked goods with sweet and savory flavors. The Loaf Bakery has many unique Japanese flavors in their pastries and drinks, but they’re embracing the seasonal kin pie latte, pumpkin spice matcha and sparkling ginger apple cider.
Assistant manager Lily Chapman said there is a theme every year for fall and winter items and this fall’s menu included a pumpkin spice theme.
Additionally, starting this month, the menu will again change to have new items.
“It’s honestly probably one of the most popular things that we do is bring in our seasonal menu,” Chapman said. “We have people tell us that they come just for our seasonal menu.”
If you stop by the Undergrounds Coffeehouse, Chapman recommends trying the new vegan milk and cookies steamer, and if you need the boost, you can add caffeine. They are located inside Real Life Church at 23841 Newhall Ranch Road.
