As the weather gets colder and fall is among us, it’s always nice to escape the cold through warm comfort food. But as a person with limited cooking skills and patience, it can seem daunting to make food that is good and easy to make. 

With that being said, here are four easy and delicious recipes for the coming cool weather:

1.) Pumpkin Soup

This soup is great for even the most amature cooks, as the most challenging part of the recipe is mixing the ingredients together! It’s also a great way to get geared up for fall with the traditional pumpkin flavor of the soup. Taking a total of less than ten minutes to make, this is definitely a recipe worth trying out.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, grated

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 29-oz. canned pure pumpkin

2 14.5-oz. cans chicken broth (4 cups)

½ c. heavy cream 

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

¾ tsp. salt 

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stir for three  minutes or until soft.
2. Stir in the pure pumpkin, chicken broth, cream, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally for three  minutes or until soup simmers.
3. Ladle it into bowls and top as desired. Store the leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

2.) Parsley Garlic Bread

This easy and quick recipe is great for a snack or appetizer when pressed for time, and the taste of warm fresh bread is sure to make you want to cozy up and refuge in warmth.

Ingredients:

4 thick slices country bread 

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 clove peeled garlic

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub bread with olive oil, then garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown, six to eight minutes. Sprinkle with two Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley.

3.) Mug Cake

Most everyone likes a sweet slice of cake, however, it can be difficult and time-consuming to make. The perfect solution is mug cakes! They only take a total of six minutes before you are ready to enjoy a delicious warm sweet treat. The best part is that you can add almost any ingredient to the recipe to have different flavored cakes.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons milk (or dairy-free milk)

1 ½ tablespoons flavorless oil (sunflower, vegetable or coconut oil)

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon Funfetti sprinkles

Directions:

1. In a microwavable mug whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder.
2. Add in the milk, oil, and vanilla and mix until just combined. Stir in the sprinkles.
3. Microwave for roughly 45 seconds – one minute, or until firm to the touch (timing is based on my microwave which is 1200 Watts so your timing may vary).
4. Serve warm with frosting, ice cream or cream.

4.) Sugar Cookies

Like cakes and other desserts, it often takes a lot of time and ingredients to make an enjoyable treat. With these sugar cookies it only takes three ingredients and thirty minutes to be finished with delicious warm cookies.

Ingredients:

1 stick plus 2 tbsp. salted butter, softened

⅓ c. granulated sugar

1 c. all-purpose flour

Sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl using a hand mixer beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then stir in flour.
2. Form the cookies into one inch balls, placing them about two inches apart on a baking sheet. If using sprinkles, flatten cookies into a disc shape and top with sprinkles.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden.