breakfast friday | oatmeal pumpkin cookie bake for two

This breakfast is a cross between two things.  My single serving, deep-dish chewy oatmeal cookie and this super simple microwave oatmeal cookie.

It's a little bit gooey, kind of cakey, and soft + chewy.  Hence, cookie-bake.  No unusual or hard to find flours, just a simple blend of oats, oat flour, and almond meal.  You won't even need eggs or flax, but you will need pumpkin.  I love me some pumpkin.

Fun thing about this recipe is that you can bake them two different ways.  You can split the dough in two and bake in small baking dishes, or you can roll the dough into 6 balls and bake them into actual cookies.  The cookies are thick and chewy with a crispy exterior.  The cookie-bakes are a bit softer throughout. 

The mix-ins are completely customizable.  I did a true breakfast version with pecans only and then added a little chocolatey sweetness in the next batch for good measure.  Something about pecans + pumpkin just make sense to me.  And they're both helping me cope with the fact that we have a solid ONE INCH of snow on the ground.

Hey, fall...

What happened to you?  I like you so much.  Please come back.  

At first glance this recipe looks lengthy, but fear not, it's clunked up with lots of pumpkin spices and silly things like vanilla, pecans, and chocolate chips--my favorite things.  I promise it's an easy one to throw together, and I just inhaled the leftovers [from the trial batches] straight from the fridge with a hot cup of coffee.  But, that is kind of my norm.  I'm impatient when it comes to breakfast.  

While chowing down on cold leftovers I also reheated one of the cookie-bakes which worked like a charm.  Reheating in a toaster oven, a skillet with a bit of oil, or the microwave will all work.

p.s. They're vegan, too.  

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adapted from: single-serving deep dish oatmeal chocoalte chip cookie If you haven't yet, you must make these! [v+gf]

Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookie Bake for Two

gluten-free, vegan // yields 2 large breakfast cookies

• 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 3 tablespoons almond meal
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free oat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/16 teaspoon clove
• 1 1/2 tablespoons softened unrefined coconut oil
• 5 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1-1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350* F and grease 2, 4-inch baking dishes with a small amount of coconut oil.
2. Mix the oats, almond meal, oat flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and clove together in a bowl.
3. Place the softened coconut oil in the dry ingredient bowl and mix with your fingers until fully incorporated and the mixture is crumbly.
4. In another bowl whisk the pumpkin, maple syrup, and vanilla bean paste until combined.
5. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix together with your fingers or a fork until fully combined.
6. Mix in the chopped pecans and chocolate chips [if using].  The dough will be very sticky and thick.
7. Split the dough in half and evenly press into your greased baking dishes.
8. Bake for 11-13 minutes.  The center will feel soft and edges will be firm.  
9. Let cool, top as desired, and eat warm.

for cookies:  Follow directions 1-6, except do not grease small baking dishes.  Roll dough [it will be sticky] into 6 even balls and place on a baking sheet with 1-2 inches between each.  Lightly press down with your palm or a fork so the cookies are about 1/2-inch thick.  Bake for about 8-9 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes then remove from the pan and eat.

notes/substitutions:  If you don't like pumpkin spice sub mashed banana for pumpkin puree and use 1 teaspoon cinnamon instead of all the other spices.  I used 1 tablespoon maple syrup but omit or add more if desired.  Softened butter will work instead of coconut oil.  Use just under 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice instead of spices called out above.  

Happy breakfasting.  Happy Friday.  Fall, please come back.

#bfastfridayclub

Ashley

breakfast friday | my everyday waffle

I never really expected to become infatuated with waffles.  I thought a waffle maker was the one appliance I could live without.  They're so big!  They only make sweet, breakfast waffles!  I quickly debunked the second of those statements when I made waffle grilled sandwiches, savory waffles, doughnut waffles, and brownie waffles, justifying that this appliance have a permanent spot on my counter.  

Waffles have been my breakfast of choice for at least 6 months now.  I can barely remember a day when I didn't make waffles for breakfast.  I'm not talking about a waffle loaded with butter + maple syrup, however.  That's not really everyday-able.  I'm talking about a super-simple, hearty, satiating, banana-sweetened waffle.  There's no oil or sugar added to this recipe.  It makes 1 waffle that holds me over for 5 hours.  I have about 3 breakfasts that can keep me completely satiated until lunch and this is one of them.

For the longest time I remember trying to do the whole 3 smaller meals + 3 snacks a day but finally realized that way of eating just wasn't for me.  I didn't like constantly thinking about what I was going to eat 2 hours later.  I was staring down the clock thinking about my next meal, never really feeling fully satisfied.

After realizing my body wasn't made for that type of scheduled eating I started experimenting with different types of breakfast options that were hearty and nutrient dense.  This is what first led me to the buckwheat bake and now this waffle is a spin-off from that.

The great thing about waffles is that they are so much quicker than the buckwheat bake.  You need about 3 minutes to make the batter and about 5 minutes to let it cook.  While it's cooking you can be doing things like putting on makeup, letting the dogs out, packing lunch, etc.  I even think they're faster then making a pot of stovetop oatmeal.

And for the topping...

I've been stirring up this little concoction for about 1 or 2 years now.  It's a simple combination of peanut butter, protein powder, and milk.  I know everyone has different thoughts when it comes to using protein powder, but it's something I've come to really enjoy and gives me a little extra protein boost in the morning.  I eat 1/2 serving mixed into peanut butter most mornings but rarely/never add it to other things like smoothies, baked goods, etc.  The protein powder I use is raw, organic, vegan, non-GMO, and made with sprouted seeds + grains.  It's a whole-food product I feel good about using.  

Now, back to waffles.

If you're looking for a fluffy + light waffle this probably isn't for you.  It's dense + hearty with a great crispy texture on the outside and soft, bready texture on the inside.  This is a waffle suitable for everyday eating.

It's a waffle that I rarely actually measure the ingredients for.  I really had never measured the liquid ingredients until today, so I could share it with all of you.

And for the days when I am out of eggs I created a very similar vegan version that comes out just as crispy, filling, and tasty.

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I use this double-sided waffle maker that we got for a gift last year.

Everyday Breakfast Waffle

gluten-free, dairy-free // yields 1, 6-inch Belgian waffle

with egg:

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup well-mashed banana, about 1/2 medium banana
• 3 1/2 tablespoons light buckwheat flour
• 2 tablespoons almond meal
• 2 tablespoons ground flax meal
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3-4 tablespoons unsweetened almond/soy milk

peanut butter protein topping:

• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons protein powder of choice, I use this one
• 1-3 tablespoons milk of choice

1. Preheat your waffle maker to medium and grease if necessary.
2. Whisk the egg in a bowl then whisk in the mashed banana.
3. Add the buckwheat flour, almond meal, flax, and cinnamon to the bowl.
4. Pour the milk over top and whisk until just combined.  Do not overstir.  Batter should be thick but pourable.
5. Pour/scrape into your waffle maker and lightly spread.
6. Close and cook until desired doneness is reached.  I usually cook mine for 1 1/2 cycles.
7. While cooking, stir peanut butter protein ingredients together in a bowl [if using] until smooth.  Add more milk for a thinner consistency.
8. Top however you choose and serve.

Everyday Vegan Breakfast Waffle gluten-free, vegan // yields 1, 5/6-inch Belgian waffle

vegan version:

• 1/4 cup well-mashed banana, about 1/2 medium banana
• 5 tablespoons light buckwheat flour
• 2 tablespoons almond meal
• 2 tablespoons ground flax meal
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened almond/soy milk

1. Preheat your waffle maker to medium and grease if necessary.
2. Add mashed banana to a bowl.
3. Add the buckwheat flour, almond meal, flax, and cinnamon to the bowl.
4. Pour the milk over top and stir/whisk--with a fork--until just combined.  Do not overstir.  Let sit for 2-3 minutes.  Batter with be very thick and not pourable.
5. Scrape into your waffle maker and lightly spread.
6. Close and cook until desired doneness is reached.  I usually cook mine for 1 1/2 cycles.
7. While cooking, stir peanut butter protein ingredients together in a bowl [if using] until smooth.  Add more milk for a thinner consistency.
8. Top however you choose and serve.

notes/substitutions:  Light buckwheat flour is ground from raw/untoasted/hulled buckwheat groats.  I buy these in the bulk bins and grind them into flour with my high-speed blender in small batches.  Packaged buckwheat flour is typically made from unhulled buckwheat which creates a much earthier flavor profile.  I have successfully made these with oat flour but you will want to reduce the milk by about 1 tablespoon.  I prefer the texture with buckwheat flour.  For a pumpkin spice version substitute banana for pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice instead of cinnamon.  You may want to add 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup or honey as the pumpkin does not add sweetness like banana does.  Applesauce can be used instead of banana but decrease by 1 tablespoon as the consistency is thinner.  Applesauce will also create a less sweet version.

Time to get your waffle on.  #bfastfridayclub

Other waffle recipes of note:

• Belgian Brownie Waffles
• Blueberry Oat Wafflesand waffle French toast
• Cornbread Waffles
• Basic Buckwheat Waffles not as hearty as the everyday waffle
• Savory Spinach + Cheese Waffles
• Honey Dipped Doughnut Waffles

In doughnut news....Head on over to Teri's blog, A Foodie Stays Fit, and Angela's blog, Oh She Glows, to read two interviews [both different!] about the book and enter their giveaways to win a copy of Baked Doughnuts for Everyone!!

My mom is coming to visit today, and I'm slightly excited.  Counting down the hours!!

Happy weekending.

Ashley