Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

I am a complete morning person. I love waking up early and getting my workout out of the way first thing in the morning. Then it's time for breakfast, one of my favorite parts of the day. Relaxing over a mug of coffee and some sort of baked good along with some fruit or a fruit smoothy. It doesn't get much better than that. I hate having to rush around in the morning shoving some breakfast down as I walk out the door, it just doesn't cut it for me. This means I always have something in my freezer, most often muffins or slices of a quickbread, ready and waiting for me. All I have to do is pull one out the night before and I'm done, ready for the next day. 

Last week the freezer was running a little low on baked goods so I decided it was time for some pumpkin muffins. Sometimes I go all out and bake something rich and decadent, but this time I decided to go with something on the healthier side and I baked up these spiced pumpkin muffins with oats. I really liked how they turned out, moist and full of spicy fall flavors. They are hearty and dense, most definitely not decadent, but a wonderful way to start a cold fall morning off right. 

These muffins are definitely not sweet, but they are incredibly moist and flavorful. If you're looking for something a little sweeter, I would advise adding some chopped chocolate or some dried fruit (cranberries or raisins, etc.), or even increasing the sugar a bit, there isn't much in them as written. I don't mind this at all, but others might need a bit more sweetness to really be happy. But give them a try and see what you think. Play around with the recipe and make it your own. I do that all the time, and it makes baking even more fun!

Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

Adapted from 

Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 cup (8 oz) canned pumpkin 
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 muffin tin with paper cups or spray with nonstick spray. If you use muffin cups, make sure to spray the inside of the cups.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and a pinch of nutmeg; whisk again.

In a separate large bowl combine pumpkin, brown sugar, egg whites, applesauce, oil, and vanilla; mixing until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix! Bake for 16-18 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean. Cool for approximately 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to finish cooling.

Yields: 12 muffins

Oatmeal Chocolate Fudge Bars

Last week my dad asked me if I'd be willing to bake him something for his Bible study on Sunday night. Of course I said yes, any excuse to bake something, especially something I might not normally make for myself. I looked at some recipes I had set aside and settled on these oatmeal fudge bars. A sweet and buttery bar full of oats and covered in a layer of rich and smooth chocolate fudge. They sounded heavenly. They sounded so rich and made such a big batch that I knew this was something I wouldn't' just make for myself on a whim, so this was the perfect opportunity. I never actually asked what everyone at the Bible study thought, but I know what I thought: they are rich and delicious!

These bars were really easy to make, and use pretty basic ingredients. The only ingredient that maybe might be a little more unique is the sweetened condensed milk, but I almost always have at least one can in the pantry. Other then that, you're probably all set! Throw it together and then into the oven. These bars also freeze very well, and they actually taste really good straight from the freezer. They don't get super hard so it's easy enough to eat. But however you store them, they are pretty delicious!

Oatmeal Chocolate Fudge Bars

From: 

The Hub of Our Home

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Salted Butter, softened
• 2 Cups Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 and 1/2 Cups Flour
• 3 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Fudge Layer:

• 14 Ounces Canned Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 2 Tablespoons Salted Butter
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside. In the bowl of your mixer beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy(about 2 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time beating for one minute after each egg. Beat in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Stir in the oats. 

Set aside 1&1/2 to 2 cups of the mixture. Spread the remaining oatmeal mixture evenly in a greased 9x13 pan. Set aside and prepare the fudge layer. 

 In a medium saucepan add the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and butter. Heat over low heat, stirring continually, just until the chocolate is melted and the ingredients are combined. Be sure to watch the chocolate carefully. 

 Pour the warm fudge mixture into the 9x13 pan over top the oatmeal layer. Drop small bits of the reserved oatmeal mixture evenly over the fudge layer. Don't try to spread it. Dropping it creates an open lacy pattern allowing the fudge to show through. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the chocolate layer is dull and starting to come away from the sides of the pan. 

 Cool on the counter for 2 hours and then refrigerate for 1 more hour before cutting. Store in an airtight container.