Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

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Oatmeal is the classic breakfast meal for a reason – full of fiber and great for you, it is a wonderful way to start the day. However, with a little bit of pumpkin and some sweet flavors, it could become so much better.

Why not try making other tasty oatmeal squares for breakfast with this Cranberry Oatmeal Bars recipe? Or you could try this f Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Dream Bars or a real breakfast treat.

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of the healthiest ways to start your day. However, you might not always feel like making yourself a steaming bowl of oatmeal topped with fruit.

Sometimes you just get those days when you want something quick that you can grab from the kitchen to start your day. Although you also do not want to miss out on the benefits of healthy oatmeal.

This pumpkin-baked oatmeal recipe is the perfect solution to your breakfast problem. Batch cook a tray of these pumpkin oatmeal squares at the weekend, and you have a delicious, quick, and healthy breakfast that you can enjoy all week.

Pair your pumpkin-baked oatmeal squares with a mug of coffee, and you have a power breakfast to set your day off right.

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.

• Pumpkin puree

• Milk

• Maple syrup

• Egg

• Vanilla extract

• Butter

• Rolled oats

• Baking powder

• Pumpkin spice

• Salt

• Pecans

How To Make Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

• Grease a 9×9 baking dish

• In a large mixing bowl, add the pumpkin, milk, maple syrup, egg, vanilla, and melted butter and whisk it to combine well

• In another mixing bowl, add the rolled oats, baking powder, pumpkin spice, salt, and half of the pecans, mixing it well

• Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until well incorporated

• Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, spreading it out evenly

• Sprinkle the top with remaining chopped pecans.

• Bake for 35-40 at 375 Fahrenheit minutes until the oatmeal is set and the top is golden brown

• Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving

Could You Use Pumpkin Pie Mix In This Recipe?

We all have that can of pumpkin pie mix hidden at the back of the cupboard from last Thanksgiving after thinking that it was better to buy too many than find you did not have enough on the big day.

You might be tempted to try using your leftover can of pumpkin pie mix in this recipe instead of pumpkin purée. Unfortunately, the two products cannot be used in place of each other.

Canned pumpkin purée is pure pumpkin which means that there are no added spices or seasonings that could alter the taste of your oatmeal squares. Pumpkin pie mix, on the other hand, is designed to be used in pies and comes complete with all the seasonings and egg yolk powder you need for a delicious pie.

If you really want to use up that can of pumpkin pie mix that you have, you could, but you will want to avoid adding extra spices and seasonings to your oatmeal mixture. Using a pre-made mixture gives you much less control over the flavor profile of your pumpkin oatmeal squares.

So, if you should avoid using pumpkin pie mixes, can you go the other way and use fresh pumpkin rather than the canned stuff?

Can I Use Fresh Pumpkin?

You definitely could, although you will be making a lot more work and mess for yourself and getting very little in return. Pumpkin puree simply allows you to skip the effort of having to prepare your pumpkin for this recipe while getting the same great taste.

Plus, not all fresh pumpkins are the same. For this recipe, you want the sweetest pumpkins possible. The purée that comes in cans will always be made using sweet pumpkins that are meant for pies and other sweet treats.

If you choose to buy fresh pumpkins and decide that you’re up to the challenge of cutting, pureeing, and seed sorting, then make sure that you do not buy just any old pumpkins. Check to make sure your fresh pumpkins are sweet pumpkins, often sold as pumpkin pie pumpkins.

What Other Nuts Could You Use For This Recipe?

Pecans take on a nutty caramelized taste when baked, which works particularly well on pumpkin oatmeal squares. However, if you are not a fan of pecans, you can always try using different nuts in this recipe for a slightly different taste and texture.

Hazelnuts are a great alternative in this pumpkin oatmeal recipe and can help to counter some of the sweetness. Hazelnuts have a much more savory taste than pecans and are perfect if you do not have an overly sweet tooth.

Alternatively, you could try using almonds to maintain the sweetness of the recipe. However, one thing to note if you choose to use almonds is that they lack that caramelized texture that pecans bring to the squares.

Another option is to try using peanuts in place of pecans. Peanuts will bring a lot of extra flavor to your oatmeal squares; however, they can also be a little too dominating. The peanuts can easily overpower the pumpkin taste, so you might want to use less than you would with other nuts to help counter this.

Looking for more deliciously sweet Bars & Square recipes? Try these out:

• Peanut Butter Bars

• Pumpkin Pie Bars
• Raspberry Coconut Bars

Happy Cooking

Love,

Karlynn

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