There’s just something about this time of year that brings out my inner baker. The smells of cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through the house, mingling with the crisp chill in the air and the crunch of the fallen leaves under foot.

It just compels me to go into the kitchen, throw on an apron and go elbow deep in flour, sugar and creamed butter. Holiday memories swirling through the mist of years brought to light by the heady scent of baking pies and roasting turkeys, cornbread stuffing. I’m immediately swept back in time to standing side by side with my Granny, kneading pie crusts, cutting lard into flour and using the left-over pie crusts to make mini pies just for us kids.

Now it’s my turn to be the creator of the memories, the one whipping up the delights that cause the smells that will forever transport them back to a simpler time of family, food and Thanksgiving. To a time before bills and responsibilities, stress and work, that time when getting the most marshmallows on their sweet potatoes or the biggest scoop of ice cream on their apple pie is the biggest concern of their day.

My favorite go to recipe is the Sour Cream Apple Pie, found here.

What’s your favorite holiday recipe? Is it a family tradition, passed down from generation to generation, or a recent addition? What do you like the most about this time of year? What takes you back and brings you home?