Take Your Grilled Cheese From Flat To Fall With This Maple Ingredient

There is no time of year — or time of day — that a grilled cheese sandwich is not a welcome food. The simple combination of crisp, buttery, griddled bread and melted cheese is a universally adored food for people of all ages. But there is no reason that your grilled cheese can't change with the weather, incorporating new ingredients to give that favorite sandwich a touch of seasonal flair. And when it comes to adding fall flavor to your grilled cheese, you need look no further than the simple addition of a smear of maple butter.

For those who have never tried it, maple butter — also sometimes called maple cream — is a thick, spreadable product made from 100% maple syrup. The syrup is heated to a specific temperature and then cooled and beaten to crystallize the sugars and give it a sumptuous, velvety texture. There are many ways to use maple butter in your kitchen. Although grilled cheese sandwiches might not be the find to pop into your head, it is one you should definitely try.

To make this deliciously autumnal take on a grilled cheese, all you need to do is smear a tablespoon or so of maple butter — like this maple cream from Frost Ridge Maple Farm — on the inside of your sandwich before putting it in the pan. Paired with a sharp cheddar cheese, you can expect a dazzling complement of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. But this is also just the beginning of how you can build your perfect fall grilled cheese.

With a quick glance at a list of the best grilled cheese recipes, you'll quickly find that fall-focused grilled cheese sandwiches are easy to make with huge potential. There are an unlimited number of additions that can elevate your grilled cheese sandwiches, but there are a few that sound particularly good this fall.

Maple butter is quite sweet, so add some saltiness to the mix. Try chopped ham or a couple of slices of crispy bacon to provide an excellent counterpoint. Another great layer of fall flavor that you can bring into these maple-butter-enhanced grilled cheese sandwiches comes in the form of fruit. Adding a sprinkle of finely diced apple or a few thin slices of pear to the mix doesn't just add sweetness and aroma, but also a delicate crunch.

If you want to keep the additions simple, try cutting the maple butter down to half a tablespoon on one slice of bread, and spread the other with an equal quantity of apple or pumpkin butter. Each of these spreads will add its own complementary taste of the season. Of course, depending on which additions you decide on, you might want to switch up the types of cheese and bread you use.