Pecan Pumpkin Pancakes - Oatmeal is Optional

We went to a diner for breakfast recently and they had pumpkin pancakes.  Optional pecans were added to mine.  Hubby thought they looked so good he asked me to make them today.  I made the following recipe and, after cooking the first half, stirred in some oatmeal, too (hubby didn't want oatmeal).  Don't like pecans?  Use the oatmeal instead (or walnuts, or coconut, or...)

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

2 Tbl sugar

2 Tbl light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin, cooked and mashed (may use canned)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup broken pecans

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin, water and oil.  Add to dry ingredients along with pumpkin, whisk.  Whisk in pecans.

Using an ice cream scoop, put onto a hot griddle.

I cooked 4 then added 1 cup oatmeal.

Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal

I love making breakfast on Sundays that I Can reheat the remainder of the work week.  If you don't have almond milk, you can use cow's milk.  No Demerara sugar?  No problem - use brown sugar.  I like to cut it into 10 servings, then heat them individually and top with Greek Yogurt.  Calories:  186, Protein 5.4 Grams, Carbs 36.3 Grams, Fat 4.2 Grams.

2 Cup Steel Oats
1 Tbl Butter
4 Cups Boiling Water
3 Tsp Cinnamon
6 Cups Granny Smith Apples, Diced
1/4 Cup Demerara Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Salt
2 1/2 Cups Almond Milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a skillet.

Add oats and stir until lightly toasted.

Put oats in a large mixing bowl.

Pour boiling water over them.

Add apples brown sugar and salt - stir to combine.

Add cinnamon and milk and stir again.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 55 minutes until browned and set.

Toasted Oatmeal

Recently, while reading a magazine, I saw an ad that included an advertisement for toasted oatmeal, posted by Quaker.  It looked good, mostly.  I modified the recipe to meet my needs (and the contents of my cupboard) and came up with this.

2 1/4 c  Oats
3/4 c  Nuts
1/3 c  Light Brown Sugar
1 T  Cinnamon
Dried Fruit
Milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop nuts fine. Mix with oats, spread into a shallow baking pan.  

Put in oven until oats are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.Remove from oven, cool completely in pan.  Add brown sugar and cinnamon.

Stir.  Store in a tight container.

When ready to serve:  Mix 1/3 cup oatmeal mixture with 2/3 cup water.  Microwave on 50% power
for 8 minutes.  Stir in dried fruit and milk, enjoy.

Things Your Recipe Never Told You - Sugar

Sugar:  Granulated Sugar, Light Brown Sugar, Dark Brown Sugar, Confectioner's Sugar, 10X Sugar, Powdered Sugar - we all grew up with these.  New to the mix:  Raw Sugar, Demerara Sugar, Turbinado Sugar, Superfine Sugar.  All this sugar, does it make a difference?

So, your recipe says Sugar, what does it mean?  If it just means sugar, it means the most common type, Granulated Sugar.  You use it in baking, coffee, tea, sauces, sometimes with cinnamon on toast. It works well for lots of things.

Brown Sugar comes in two forms:  Dark and Light.  Dark Brown Sugar has a higher molasses content.  What doesn't your recipe tell you?  Even if it is not stated, brown sugar should be packed.  On the rare occasion when it should not be packed, the recipe will state it outright.  So, what difference does it make?  In most cases, they are interchangeable, but the dark sugar may require an additional baking time.  For things such as baked beans, you should use the Dark Brown Sugar because it will be better with the higher molasses content.

1/2 Cup Not Packed:  76 Grams

1/2 Cup Packed:  109 grams

So, packing the brown sugar adds about 33 grams of weight.  This is a huge difference.

Confectioners (also known as Powdered Sugar or 10X Sugar) is a finely ground sugar.  It usually contains a small percentage of cornstarch to prevent caking.  This sugar is made from sugar beets.

Superfine Sugar is a finer grind of a Granulated Sugar.  If you cannot purchase it, you can process granulated sugar in a food processor until powdered.

The other sugars I have limited experience with, but there are several good sources to find additional information.

When baking cookies, you will often see both granulated sugar and brown sugar included.  What if you don't have one?  Can you substitute.  The answer is yes - but it will impact how your cookies flatten and brown.  I made the following Toffee Oatmeal Cookies three times, using three different sugar combinations.  First, I made the recipe as written.  Second, I used 1 cup of white sugar and no brown sugar.  Finally, I used all Brown Sugar.  (Pictured above from left to right)  The white sugar only spread the least on the pan and had the least browning.  The brown sugar only spread the most and had the darkest color.  They also had the best flavor, by just a bit, because they complimented the toffee flavor nicely.  They are all tasty, so it is up to you.  Try it, you'll like it.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with silicone mats or non stick foil, set aside.

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Butter

1/2 Tsp Vanilla

1 Large Egg

1/4 Cup Shortening

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp Baking Powder

1/4 Tsp Salt

1 Cup Flour

1 1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal

1 Cup Toffee Chips

Cream together sugars, butter and Shortening.  Add egg and vanilla, mix until combined well.  Add Soda, Baking Powder, Salt and Flour and mix until just combined.  Stir in Oatmeal and Toffee.  

Scoop onto pan about 1 inch apart.  I used a cookie scoop to ensure that the comparison would be valid.

Bake 10 minutes.  Cool about 5 minutes on sheet then remove to a cooling rack.

Baked Oatmeal with Fruit

Lots of fruit in a CSA = looking for ways to use it.  Up next, baked oatmeal with fruit.  While the recipe says Granny Smith Apple, any firm apple works well.  No blueberries?  Use any berry or even chopped peaches.  I don't peel the apples, but it is personal preference.  The nutrition listed is for 12 servings. 

  4 Cups 1% Milk                                                          3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar

  1 Tbl Butter                                                                3 Cup Oatmeal

  1/2 Tsp Salt                                                                 2 Cup Granny Smith Apple, Chopped

  2 Tsp Cinnamon                                                          1 Cup Blueberries

  1 Tsp Nutmeg                                                             2 Large Eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 x 13 pan, set aside.  In a large pan, bring milk, butter, and salt to a boil.  While waiting, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour boiling milk over oatmeal, stir.  Pour into baking pan, bake for 35 minutes.

Per Serving: 278 Cal (18% from Fat, 15% from Protein, 67% from Carb); 11 g Protein; 6 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 48 g Carb; 5 g Fiber; 21 g Sugar; 142 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 161 mg Sodium

Plum Oatmeal Muffins

Next up in the Plum Parade - muffins.  And I still have LOTS of plums remaining.  I used 2% buttermilk and 1% yogurt, so the muffins I made were slightly lower calorie than represented below.  In addition, by using 2-inch muffin cups and a standard spring loaded ice cream sized scoop that filled them almost level with the top, I made 18 muffins.  These muffins are not sweet in the least - closer to the taste of a baked oatmeal with fruit.  In fact, they would be good warmed, broken and served in a bowl with a touch of milk.

1 Cup Buttermilk                                                               3/4 Tsp Baking Soda

  2 Tbl Buttermilk                                                              1/4 Tsp Salt

  1 1/2 Cups Flour                                                              1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

  1/2 Cup Wheat Flour                                                       1/4 Tsp Nutmeg

  1 1/2 Cups Old Fashion Oatmeal                                      1 Cup Plums, Unpeeled And Chopped

  1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar                                              1/4 Cup Yogurt

  2 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder                                                 2 Tbl Vegetable Oil

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tins with oil OR paper liners.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, yogurt and vegetable oil.  Pour over dry ingredients, add plums and stir until just  combined.

Scoop into your prepared muffin pan(s) and bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

Per Muffin: 146 Cal (17% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 72% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 27 g  Carb; 2 g Fiber; 6 g Sugar; 75 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 173 mg Sodium