Autumn Air

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons.
I don't know whether it's the color of the leaves, the bright crisp air, the sense of change in the atmosphere, the crunching of dry leaves beneath my feet, or the intoxicating aromas associated with the season.
I love the thought of baking spicy shortbread cookies and cutting them into ghosts, pumpkins, skulls, monsters and other ghoulish figures and icing them with great care and attention to detail.
The thought of smores on a bonfire on a gorgeous, star-filled, frosty night makes me tingle with delight.
And who doesn't relish in the feeling of goopy, stringy, seedy guts being scooped from a pumpkins center?
Yummy pumpkin and sweet potato pies fill the air with scintillating, warming aromas.  Rich, crimson cranberry sauce hinted with the scent of orange adds a tart note that complements the other glorious smells in my kitchen on the morning of Thanksgiving.
And then there is the coconut coated jelly apple or peanut ensconced caramel apple that is very common during this time of year.  We've all seen them in the supermarkets in their hard plastic coats of armor.  But they are so much more yummy when made at home.  And the smell of caramelizing sugar and the dance of the cream hitting the molten lava sugary syrup...something to behold.  It's simply magical.  Decorating these apple masterpieces has become quite the craft project as well.  How about adding layers of peanut butter caramel and then some melted dark chocolate and then topping it all with crushed pretzel pieces?  Or maybe raspberry caramel topped with melted white chocolate and the rolled in toasted pecans?  And then there is the option of the harder red candy coat rolled in miniature marshmallows.  Or maybe even adding some cinnamon oil to the candy coat and then rolling it in graham cracker crumbs.
I can go on and on.

Autumn is a catalyst for change.  It welcomes the new school year, it ushers in the rest of the holidays like the tip of a domino trail, starting with Halloween. And then brings us to blustery winter - which delivers a whole new treasure trove of sweets.