Life·Food

15 baking recipes to take advantage of produce at its peak — now!

From berries to zucchinis to apples, bake your way through these fresh ingredients while you can.

From berries to zucchinis to apples, bake your way through these fresh ingredients while you can

(First photo by CBC Life. Second photo by by Kevin Clark. Third photo by CBC Life.)

This season brings a bounty of fresh ingredients and there's no better time to take advantage of them than when they're at their peak, for eating fresh, cooking with — and baking too. In-season fruits and vegetables can help pies, cobblers and crisps take centre stage, and bring a vibrancy to your confectioneries, cakes, and muffins. As we transition from summer into fall (not yet, but it's coming!) the recipes below welcome all the berries, zucchinis, apples, pears, squash and more into our ovens (and our bellies).

Blueberry Cornmeal Scones with Homemade Jam and Maple Mascarpone

Plump blueberries pair nicely with homemade jam and maple mascarpone to make these scones pop.

(Photo: David Bagosy; Styling: Melissa Direnzo)

Cardamom Strawberry Country Slab Pie

Sweet and tart, this strawberry pie is a crowd-pleaser for your backyard cookouts.

Overhead shot of a rectangular pie on a red cooling rack. The pie crust design is latticed, and the filling is strawberry.
(Photography by Michael Gozum)

Strawberry Shortcake Drop Scones

A shortcake-take on strawberries and scones that's a lovely addition to tea time.

Sliced strawberries and whipped cream in between a scone sliced in half, and topped with more whipped cream. The strawberry shortcake is sitting on a shallow pink bowl on a table with more scones and berries in the background.
(CBC Life)

Flaky Berry Pie Squares

It's the vegan, gluten-and-trademark-free version of Pop-Tarts!

(Photography by Rachel Conners)

Strawberry Cobbler with Bourbon & Brown Sugar Sour Cream

With or without the bourbon, this strawberry cobbler can pass itself off as a delightful brunch dish or a sweet helping of dessert.

(Photography by Michael Gozum)

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

You can really leave your mark with these cookies, literally and figuratively.

A batch of Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies sitting on parchment paper on a cooling rack, next to a bottle of raspberry jam.
(Photo: David Bagosy, Styling: Melissa Direnzo)

Kale and Zucchini Muffins

You'd never know these muffins were packed with a ton of veggies!

Deep Dish Peach Pie

This pie is teeming with fresh peaches!

(CBC Life)

Tarte Tatin

Caramelized apples and buttery puff pastry? Say yes to this classic French dessert.

Overhead shot of a circular apple tart sitting on a plate on a white cloth napkin on a table. A fork sits on the left of the plate.
(Photography by Kevin Clark)

Apple Cheddar Pie

The sharpness of cheddar cheese balances beautifully with the tartness of apple in this rustic pie.

Overhead shot of an apple pie on a dark grey kitchen towel. The pie crust on top of the pie is shaped like leaves.
(Photography by Marcella DiLonardo)

Spiced Pear and Apple Crisp

The blending of pears and apples, mixed with a myriad of spices, kicks a simple crisp recipe up a few notches.

Nadiya's Half a Pear Crumble

An individual serving of a pear crumble lets you decide your pear-to-crumble ratio.

(Credit: Hungry Gap Productions Ltd.)

Rustic Mushroom and Kale Galette

A flaky crust envelopes full-bodied mushrooms and delicious kale.

A galette on a wooden cutting board. It's filled with mushrooms, kale and olives.
(CBC Life)

Delicata Squash and Mushroom Tart

A beautiful vegetarian main dish that's perfect for sharing.

Zucchini Fries with Chunky Roasted Pepper Tomato Sauce

Consider this healthier spin on fries and ketchup.

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