If you’ve got kids in the house, you may be aware that October is National Dessert Month. It’s also National Pumpkin Month. Between Halloween candy and tailgating weekends with plenty of sweet snacks, what’s the best way to embrace nutritious and delicious desserts this month?
Dairy Variety for Exceptional Ingredients
Many of your favorite treat recipes include a splash of milk, but today’s world offers dairy in a variety of forms. From lactose-free to whole milk, whipping cream to buttermilk, and even kefir and yogurt, every dose of dairy in your recipe provides nine essential nutrients (including protein, vitamin D, and calcium, to name a few). The versatility of dairy as an ingredient makes whipping up dessert easy.
Speaking of whipping up treats, if you’ve never made your own whipped cream, this is definitely the month to make it happen.
Kids in the Kitchen
Letting kids help in the kitchen can lead to a sticky situation, but many of us learn by doing. Being involved with the cooking process can help improve acceptance of new foods and build crucial foundation kitchen skills and the outcome is sure to be delicious. Kid-friendly dairy recipes are a great place to start.
10 No-Fail Fall Desserts
Stumped on what to make first? Here are 10 of my favorite fall recipes:
- Pumpkin Bread Pudding
- Pumpkin Yogurt Cheesecake Shake
- Sweet Potato Praline Pie
- Classic Pumpkin Pie
- Caramel Tarts
- Tiger Stripe Brownies
- Homemade Banana Pudding
- Maple Pecan Pie Ice Milk
- Crème Brûlée
- Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies
What are you making to celebrate National Dessert Month?
Carlene Thomas RDN, LD is a food photographer/videographer and recipe developer in Virginia. She is the current past president of the Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.