This post is dedicated to anyone who bought me food, or coffee, or gave me a gift card. You are the best and this Fall Flavours post wouldn’t exist without you! For more excitement and adventures, check out the Canuck Kitchen Lifestyle section.
Exploring Fall Flavours
My favourite time of year is May 1st to October 31st. The weather is absolutely beautiful and there’s so much to do. Fall is one of my favourite seasons and Halloween is, in my opinion, the best day of the year. I love everything. The decor, the food (pumpkin everything!), sitting in cozy cafes, gazing at the fall foliage, wearing my cute boots, fall baking, I can go on forever. I wanted to share with you some of the goodies I had the pleasure of experiencing while loving up my favourite time of year.
Thistle Bookshop and Cafe
This quaint cafe is one of my favourites. I covered Thistle in a previous post if you’d like to have a look at it here.
Thistle is a cozy cafe and the perfect way to spend any morning or afternoon. It’s nestled in the heart of Port Dalhousie. After grabbing your favourite book, treat, and a warm beverage, you can head on over to the water and walk through the sand.
What really intrigued me was the Cinnamon Maple Latte, a fan favourite that I wish they offered year-round. This was the first drink I tried at Thistle, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
I had to go back to try the pumpkin spice, naturally, as I am the PSL queen, after all. On Thanksgiving weekend, I grabbed my fake UGG boots and headed on over to my favourite piece of paradise.
Nature’s Corner Cafe
Nature’s Corner Cafe is a hidden gem in Ridgeville, Ontario. I stumbled upon it by accident one time after apple picking. After taking a wrong turn, I saw a giant sign that said “Cappuccino” and I knew I had to stop.
As with most cafes, the menu is always changing, but they always have a sweet lineup with drinks and baked goods, especially seasonal delights. I’ve ordered countless lattes from here before, and I love how they always come with a cute, delicious little cookie. It makes my day.
I ordered the caramel pumpkin spice latte since they didn’t have a regular pumpkin spice latte, and I was beyond impressed. Who knew that pumpkin spice and caramel would be such an incredible combination?
Fall Flavours at Starbucks
You knew it was coming. I am a Starbucks girly through and through. Also, how can you possibly do a fall flavours experience without the iconic Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte?
Liquid Deliciousness
Let’s start with the drinks. I’m happy when they start bringing out the Pumpkin Spice at the end of August. I look forward to it every summer. (The countdown already starts in the wintertime.) Also, having a September birthday, I always get a free one on that day.
We all can admit that pumpkin spice is iconic. It’s probably their most ordered drink and they probably make a lot of money during the fall season. Who can blame them? It’s warm, sweet, and filled with cinnamon and pumpkin flavours to bring you nostalgia and tingly, happy feelings.
Starbucks also released a new lineup at the start of fall. While I couldn’t try all of them, I did give the Pecan Crunch Oat Latte a shot. I was not disappointed. It kind of reminded me of Christmas. It’s a nutty, but sweet, creamy latte.
I also noticed that the pumpkin spice came as an iced version. Yea, that one wasn’t for me at all. I’m a huge fan of iced coffees, but I feel pumpkin spice should just be kept as a warm beverage instead of cold. That’s just my opinion though. I know a lot of people love it as an iced version, and that’s awesome! For some reason, I ordered a grande (medium size), so I really regret that decision. But hey, at least I tried it. I also told them 3 times my name was Lisa and somehow ended up with an N on my cup haha.
The Baked Goods
The Starbucks Fall Lineup consisted of the Racoon Cakepop, Pumpkin Loaf, and the iconic Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin. I’m still waiting for the day when they have a pumpkin cake pop that’s pumpkin spice flavoured.
The Raccoon cake pop was mainly for cuteness. It was just vanilla-flavoured, still good nonetheless. Starbucks did a nice job with the pumpkin loaf. If you want all the fall flavours, but something that’s not heavy on sweetness, I highly recommend this gem. It provides the perfect amount of pumpkin and spice, and the edges are nicely decorated with pumpkin seeds.
My all-time favourite will always be the pumpkin cream cheese muffin. That dollop of creamy goodness in the center is absolute heaven. I did find a copycat recipe online, so I’ll have to see if I can craft up my own version at home.
A&W Ruffles Crunch Burger
Ok, I know it’s technically not a fall flavour, but since this was released mid-September, I still count it as a fall experience.
As soon as I saw the email from A&W (yes, I subscribe haha) announcing their Ruffles Crunch Burger, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I’ve never thought of putting chips on a burger. It’s a genius idea, and that’s how I will eat my burgers now.
The burger is essentially a Teen burger loaded with Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips and a garlic and jalapeno aioli sauce. My only suggestion is that this would be absolutely amazing with Ruffles All Dressed chips. Pair this experience with a creamy A&W root beer in a frosted glass and it’s the perfect way to spend a Friday night.
Until Next Year
I do still have plans to make more pumpkin-flavoured things throughout the winter. After all, you can never have enough. But it’s time to hang up the Pumpkin Spice Queen crown until next year. Thank you for all the delicious extra calories. My dietician will be so pleased. I’m already counting down the days until the end of August, 2025.
