one of troubles of not writing blog posts as i bake, is that i have recipes to share that are very seasonal.  you know most people like pumpkin flavored treats during the fall time, fruit desserts in the spring and summer, and so on.  but i didn’t want to wait until the fall to post these pumpkin doughtnut muffins because they are too good to keep to myself.

plus what is nice about this recipe is that it uses canned pumpkin, which you can find at the grocery store year around.  so no need to wait until the fall to whip up a batch of these pumpkin doughnut muffins.  i love that this recipe elevates a standard pumpkin muffin to new heights with the addition of a vanilla glaze, just like the one used on doughnuts.

they have the perfect amount of spice and pumpkin flavor and i love the crunch and crackling of the glaze.  they are definitely best the day you make them, but i made them the night before i served them and they were just fine.  oh and they aren’t all that difficult to make either – though you do end up using quite a few bowls for just 12-15 muffins.  oh well, it’s a small sacrifice for these bad boys.

start by combining the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

then in a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree and greek yogurt.

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although it is definitely summer time here in dc and the hot, humid weather is upon us – i still love pumpkin flavored dishes, desserts, and even breakfast.  pumpkin is typically thought of a fall/autumn flavor but since you can find canned pumpkin year around, why not use it?

a couple weeks ago, i was really craving some gnocchi so i whipped up some pan-fried pumpkin gnocchi.  the recipe only used half a cup of the pumpkin puree and i wasn’t quite sure what to do with the rest.

when i started planning for meals the next week i decided to make blueberry muffin baked oatmeal.  then it dawned on me… why not use the leftover pumpkin puree and make pumpkin pie baked oatmeal instead.

this was quite a genius idea if i do say so myself.  🙂  i just adapted the blueberry muffin baked oatmeal recipe – omitted the blueberries and added the pumpkin puree along with some pumpkin pie spice.  of course, i left on the crumb topping because we all know that’s the best part.

the pumpkin pie flavor ended up being pretty subtle so if you want your baked oatmeal to pack a stronger pumpkin pie punch, i would suggest increasing the amount of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.  but this was perfect for chris and me because he isn’t a super big pumpkin pie fan.  we both gobbled it up for breakfast every morning last week.

first combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl – oats, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

then in another bowl, combine the wet ingredients – milk, pumpkin puree, applesauce, egg, and vanilla.

oh and a quick tip, if you happen to make baked oatmeal fairly often, but not quite often enough to quickly use up a big jar of applesauce – get a 6 pack of these little snack packs of applesauce.  each serving is 1/2 cup which is exactly what you need for 1 recipe of this pumpkin pie baked oatmeal.  it’s also the same amount you would need for other baked oatmeal recipes like the blueberry muffin, banana nut, and apple cinnamon.

pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients…

and mix to combine.

pour the oatmeal mixture into a greased 8×8 pan.

then make the streusel crumb topping by combining flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter.

sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the oatmeal.

bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.

serve warm.

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so a few weekends ago, i did a bunch of baking.  the last thing on the list was this pumpkin granola.  everything had been going well, until …

i tasted the finished granola.

it was salty.

salty?

salty granola is no good.  what is wrong with this recipe?!?!?!

well, there was nothing wrong with the recipe – i just completely forgot to add in the brown sugar called for in the recipe.

brain fart.

i didn’t know what to do with my salty granola though.  throw it away?  no that would be a complete waste.  so i decided to improvise.

i added some dried cranberries and drizzled on some white chocolate.

though it helped a little bit it still wasn’t right.  since i added even more stuff to the granola i really couldn’t just throw it away.  so i added a little brown sugar to the granola when i ate it for breakfast in the morning.

it was much better but i can’t wait to try to make the actual recipe again because even with my screw up the granola was still tasty – a subtle pumpkin flavor, lots of warm pumpkin pie spices and the awesome crunch from the nuts and granola clusters.  it’s also easy to make and this granola doesn’t have added oil which makes it a lovely, healthy breakfast or snack!

this granola starts by mixing up pumpkin puree, apple sauce, maple sugar, vanilla extract and don’t forget the brown sugar!

in another bowl mix together the rolled oats and spices.

then mix them together.

now spread the pumpkin oat mixture onto a baking pan and bake it at 325 degrees F for 45-50 minutes stirring once at the half way point.

then i added some chopped almonds but you can add any kind of nut you would prefer.  you can also add in dried fruit like cranberries or raisins.

i like to eat my granola with milk like regular cereal or sprinkled on some yogurt.  it’s also great plain for a healthy afternoon snack.

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