Pumpkin Apple Baked Oatmeal
There is no season so vivid as fall, I believe. It makes my heart smile at this time of year to see the apples and pumpkins happily and flamboyantly flashing their reds and oranges in the sun. They are a harmonious pair, for both decorative and culinary purposes, joining hands to create a magnificent overload for the senses.
Baked oatmeal is not something we had when I was a child. My first exposure to it was at a Bible school where my husband taught at for a number of years. His workload was heavy, being Dean of men as well as teaching several courses, so I played single mama for those six weeks. Thankfully, there were several ladies who stand out in my memory as being life-savers in that time. One of them babysat my young children so that I could take a break from parenting and join the choir practice for an hour in the afternoon. She thrilled my girls when she cut out paperdolls for them and they all played together. They still remember that fondly. Another good friend knew all the good shopping spots and cool places that children would enjoy going to from her own history of being there as a young mom, and took us about town. I thank the good Lord for these people who went out of their way to make a young mother’s life easier.
Once a week, the kitchen crew would make a gigantic batch of baked oatmeal, and we staff families were allowed to take some to our temporary homes to eat at breakfast the next morning. That was always a treat! It was always the same, just a basic oats version, but it provided a delicious breakfast alternative that I didn’t have to make myself.
I usually make the plain version myself but with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I decided to dress it up a little. Enter the pumpkin and apple team. I cut back the liquid a little to accommodate the pumpkin, switched the raisins for dried cranberries, added a whole chopped Cortland apple and some cinnamon, and voila! Pumpkin Apple Baked Oatmeal was in the oven.
I like to make the oatmeal the day before and add milk before heating it all up together the next morning. It’s a perfect stick-to-your-ribs recipe for a rainy fall morning.
Cortland apples are one of my long-time favourites at this time of year. These crunchy, striped, fabulously flavoured apples with their pure white interior are highly versatile and make life so much better.
When making your own pumpkin puree, use pie pumpkins, or sugar pumpkins, as they are sometimes called. They taste so much better. See this post for instructions on how to make your own puree. For another great breakfast recipe using pumpkins and apples, check out Pumpkin Buttermilk Waffles with Honeycrisp Apple Topping.
As always, the recipe and stories are my own. Martin’s Family Fruit Farm is my kind sponsor.
Pumpkin Apple Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Combine brown sugar (if using maple syrup add it to the liquid ingredients), oats, coconut, raisins, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk eggs, then whisk in melted butter, milk, and pumpkin puree. Stir everything together, adding the chopped apples last. The texture should be sort of like a wet oatmeal cookie. Grease a 9″x 13″ pan and pour the oatmeal into it, smoothing out the top. Bake in preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes until the edges look brown. Remove from oven and run a large spoon through it to crumble the mix. Let cool before storing in an airtight container. I like to make it the day before, then pour milk over my serving and heat it all up together in the microwave the next day. It’s perfect for those crisp fall mornings!
Orchard News and Chews 
October 16, 2019 at 10:34 am
I am YET to make baked oatmeal with pumpkin. Looks real good
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October 16, 2019 at 10:29 pm
It was a hit at our place. Hopefully it will be at yours!
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October 17, 2019 at 7:17 am
Thank you….I will definately try
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