On-The-Go Breakfast

Pumpkin & Spice Granola

September 5, 2019 by Heidi Clark 1 Comment

Here we are. I feel like the world wants to launch into a pumpkin palooza as soon as Labor Day is over. My tastebuds weren’t quite ready for all that’s fall. Until I tested this recipe and the switch was flipped! The day I tested Pumpkin & Spice Granola was one of our cooler, rainy days here in Ohio. The clouds are dark and rolling across the sky. A drizzle of gray rain mists the landscape. Elton John is crooning “Benny & The Jets” {don’t you love that song!!??}. Our black cat, Cabernet, is snuggled in her fuzzy blanket-lined bed taking a peaceful nap. I light a cedar & smoke- scented candle and turn on the oven.

overhead view of a parchment paper lined cookie sheet filled with baked pumpkin & spice granola with whole walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries scattered over it a vintage metal spoon with a few flakes of granola rest in the bottom left corner of the tray a small vintage metal container filled with dried cranberries rest in the upper right corner of the tray the tray is resting on a beige linen cloth that rests on a vintage wooden board a ripe pear with a leaf rests in the upper left side of the frame resting on the linen

There is a coziness to fall baking that I adore! The sweet scent of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves filling the house. I’ve missed the flavors of rich pumpkin purée, the juicy, tenderness of a baked sweet apple, the subtle smokiness of maple syrup and brown sugar. The sifter is brought out of the cupboard. The rolling pins are lined up ready for the pastry dough they will roll. I stock the freezer with packages of yeast for the morning I wake up, and nothing but a soft, fluffy, gooey cinnamon roll will do.

overhead view of ingredients lying on a sheet of brown kraft paper on a vintage wooden board a vintage metal scoop rests on a light blue linen towel with a few flakes of oatmeal a large patch of loose oats is surrounded by a small round metal container of pumpkin purée a metal container of cinnamon sticks and pumpkin seeds with a vintage spoon filled with ground cinnamon a small glass jar of maple syrup and a scattering of whole walnuts

While granola is the opposite end of the spectrum from the aforementioned cinnamon roll, it is just what we need to ease back into the rituals of fall. After a summer filled with rich, creamy ice cream and ice cream cake, I crave something for breakfast with crunchy walnuts and creamy pumpkin purée. I want pumpkin pie! But, as I hinted, the ice cream treats have taken their toll, and I need something just a tad healthier! To keep my pumpkin-pie-loving-heart happy and healthy, I created Pumpkin & Spice Granola!

overhead view of a speckled white coffee cup resting on its side with pumpkin & spice granola spilling onto a vintage wooden board a fresh pear stands upright next to the cup and a vintage metal spoon with a walnut resting in it is in the top right of the frame a beige linen cloth rests in the bottom right corner

Ladies and Gentlemen…Start your ovens!

If you’ve never made granola at home, now is the time to start! I promise once you make your very own batch, you’ll be hooked! If you consider yourself a novice in the kitchen, Pumpkin & Spice Granola is the perfect recipe to start practicing your cooking skills! It’s is simple as measuring, {and you don’t have to perfect with the measurements like baking a cookie or cake requires!}stirring, dumping the contents of the bowls onto different cookie sheets and baking the pumpkin coated oats until they are crunchy. The key to the granola becoming crunchy is to divide the mixture between two parchment-lined cookie sheets. Spread the pumpkin and maple syrup coated oats into a thin layer. Stir the mixture every ten minutes during the baking time and voila! Bask in the crunchy pumpkin glory you just created!

overhead view of a glass jar filled with granola resting on its side with granola spilling out of it the jar is decorated with a strip of brown kraft paper around the jar with twine wrapped around it several times with a dried bay leaf and a cinnamon stick a small white speckled coffee mug filled with granola rests next to the jar a fresh pear rests in the top of the frame with a vintage metal spoon with a walnut on it a beige linen towel rests in the bottom right corner of the fram

If you are pumpkin fiend in the fall, check out my Pinterest account. I have a board called Pumpkin Yums filled with tons of Pumpkin treats from some of my favorite food bloggers! While you are there, you can follow me if you like! And, if you are not yet a subscriber of the Yums & Kisses newsletter, you can subscribe at the bottom of this page! I would love to have you as part of the family!

As a side note~

I just want to mention that my posts may be a bit sporadic over the next several weeks. I have a family member who is going to be having major surgery this month, so I may not be able to post as frequently as I have been. My goal is at least two posts a week. I’ll be honest, it’s been a bit of a challenge lately. I’m not complaining just explaining. Between doctors visits, pre-surgery procedures and just wanting to spend as much time with the said person as I can, my time for the blog is limited.{I’m writing this post at the hospital, in fact} I’m not going anywhere, I just may not be here, as often as I have been for a few weeks. This blog is my baby! I love it, and I love that you let me visit with you every week! Thank you, sweet friends!

XO~ Heidi

Pumpkin & Spice Granola

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Heidi Clark~Yums & Kisses
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 12– 1/2 cup servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Pumpkin & Spice Granola is a cozy way to start the day! Whole grain oats are combined with warm cinnamon, rich walnuts, crunchy pumpkin seeds, creamy pumpkin purée, and real maple syrup! The perfect not-too-sweet way to start the day!

Scale

Ingredients

4 c. rolled oats {regular, not quick-cooking}

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. sea salt

1 cup walnuts, whole or chopped

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2/3 c. maple syrup {the real stuff, please!}

4 Tbsp. butter

2/3 c. pumpkin purée {not pumpkin pie filling}

1 tsp. vanilla extract

optional add-ins:

dried cranberries

mini chocolate chips

chopped dried figs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, sugar, salt, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon.

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the maple syrup, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the oats, and stir until the oats are coated thoroughly. Divide the oats evenly between the two cookie sheets. Spread the pumpkin-coated oats into a thin layer.

Place the uncooked granola in the oven for 40-50 minutes. Stir the oats every 10 minutes during the bake time so the granola dries evenly. When the granola feels almost completely dry, and firm, it’s done! The granola will get crunchy as it cools.

When the granola is completely cool, sprinkle the optional add-ins over the trays. Transfer the granola to a large glass storage jar. The granola will stay fresh for two weeks {if it lasts that long!}

Notes

I love the walnuts left whole for this recipe but, if you prefer chopped nuts that’s cool too!

Please don’t use artificially flavored pancake syrup! Your tastebuds will thank you, if you splurge for the real thing!

Category: breakfast
Method: baked
Cuisine: american

Keywords: pumpkin spice granola breakfast snacks

Peanut Butter & Pretzel Granola

August 8, 2019 by Heidi Clark 1 Comment

I’ve always had an affinity for anything sweet and salty. Hot salty french fries dipped into a chocolate milkshake. Chocolate covered crunchy potato chips. Chewy bacon squiggled through warm maple syrup. Salted caramel anything. Oh, man, I love them all! This Peanut Butter & Pretzel Granola satisfies my sweet and salty tooth first thing in the morning! It’s like a peanut butter and pretzel cookie but waaaaaay better. Chewy rolled oats, creamy peanut butter, sweet maple syrup, and salty pretzels… How could this be wrong??!!

overhead view of a jar of granola spilling onto a marble countertop squares shards and chunks of dark chocolate rest next to the jar a small white cup of granola with a spoon rests in the upper right corner a white linen towel runs along the top edge

And of course, I had to go there. Adding a little bit of chocolate chunk action never made anybody mad. Am I right? I knew you wouldn’t mind. Of course, the chocolate is entirely optional. But I do highly recommend it!

I hate to bring this subject up

But, it’s looming in the background at this point of summer. Back. To. School. Ugh, I know. I apologize for bringing it up. But, the little ones are going to be starving when they get off the bus in the afternoon. A cold glass of milk and a tall jar filled with Peanut Butter & Pretzel Granola will be just what they need!

a small white teacup filled with granola being topped with milk a jar overflowing with granola is in the background along with a white linen towel

Don’t save all this deliciousness for after school, though! Douse it with milk! Sprinkle it over pancakes or waffles! Stir it into vanilla (or chocolate!) yogurt! Eat it by the handful! Top frozen yogurt or ice cream for a hippiefied sundae! Make chocolate-covered frozen bananas and roll it in Peanut Butter & Pretzel Granola before the chocolate sets! Hungry yet??? I knew you would be!

overhead view of the ingredients required to make peanut butter & pretzel granola maple syrup ground cinnamon vanilla extract light brown sugar creamy peanut butter hard salted pretzels and rolled oats are pictured a small wooden spoon rests on the left side

Easy Peasy

There is nothing complicated about this recipe! Breaking the pretzels into bite-sized pieces is as complicated as it gets! Measure, stir, bake. Well, maybe I told a little white lie. There is something hard about this recipe… Letting it cool before diving into it is a challenge. This granola is clumpy. But in a good way. Perfect for those mid-afternoon grumbellies. Ya know. When lunch is over, but dinner is still hours away and you just.need.something!!! You can reach in the jar and pick out a few chunks of granola to help the situation!

overhead view of a parchment-lined cookie sheet with peanut butter & pretzel granola with chocolate chunks scattered across it a vintage metal spoon rests on the bottom left side of the tray

You guys know I love me some peanut butter! Remember the No-Bake Energy Bars? Mmhmm. Some serious yum there! I know you are going to love this Peanut Butter & Pretzel Granola just as much! Maybe even more so! Follow me on Pinterest to keep up with what’s going on here at Yums & Kisses! Or, if you would like to receive my recipes straight to your inbox every week, you can subscribe at the bottom of the page! Can’t wait to visit with you again soon! You guys are the sweet to my salty!

Peanut Butter & Pretzel Granola

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Heidi Clark~Yums & Kisses
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Yield: 16– 1/4 cup servings 1x

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Description

Peanut Butter & Pretzel Granola will get your day started right! Makes a delicious after school snack as well! Tastes like a peanut butter cookie but is so much healthier!

Scale

Ingredients

1 cup broken pretzel pieces

3 cups regular rolled oats

2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ounces chocolate chunks (I used half of a dark chocolate baking bar and chopped it myself), optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper

Combine the oats, pretzels, brown sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.

Place the maple syrup and peanut butter into a 2-cup glass measuring cup or bowl. Microwave on high for no more than 30 seconds. Stir well to combine the peanut butter and maple syrup. Add the vanilla extract and stir again to combine.

Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir well until the oat mixture is completely coated with the peanut butter syrup. Dump the oats onto the lined cookie sheet and spread out into a thin layer. The oats will be a bit clumpy, but that’s okay. Just try to get it into as even of a layer as possible so that it bakes evenly.

Bake 19-22 minutes. The granola will look dry, the edges will be golden brown and will be firm feeling.

Transfer the cookie sheet to a cooling rack and let rest until cooled. Scatter the chocolate chunks over the tray of granola. Break the granola into clumps. Time to eat! Enjoy!

Notes

Granola keeps well in a jar for one month

If you want more of cereal-like granola, use a fork to break the granola up after it has cooled but while it’s still on the cookie sheet.

A tip for brown sugar that is starting to harden: Bury 2 or 3 large marshmallows down into the sugar and seal it up. The brown sugar will draw moisture from the marshmallows and rehydrate!

Category: Breakfast
Method: baked
Cuisine: American

Keywords: peanut butter pretzel granola chocolate chunk rolled oats

No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bar

June 25, 2019 by Heidi Clark 1 Comment

You are going to fall in love with these No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bars! They are portable, filling and you don’t even have to turn on the oven to make them! You’ll never purchase store-bought energy bars again! Are you planning a road trip this summer? Are you always rushing out the door without eating breakfast? Meet your new favorite recipe!

measured ingredients seperated into small round bowls on a metal baking pan ingredients are honey oats chocolate chips millet dried figs flaxseed cinnamon salt sesame seeds coconut flakes and peanut butter a white linen towel rests in the upper right hand corner

We made these No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bars with regular rolled oats, chopped dried figs, chocolate chips, sesame seeds, chia seeds, ground flax seed, toasted sesame seeds, unsweetened shredded coconut, ground cinnamon, sea salt, millet, peanut butter, and honey.

Millet? What the heck is that?

It’s the stuff on the bottom left of the tray. Millet looks like bird seed. Well, millet is used as bird seed, but it’s pretty tasty human food, too! I promise you won’t sprout yellow feathers and a beak by eating it, but you will be consuming healthy amounts of iron, protein, fiber, calcium, and magnesium from it! I love millet because it provides a significant crunch factor when used in its raw form. I purchase millet at Whole Foods from the self-serve bin area. If you want to skip the millet omit it and add more coconut to the mixture.

peanut butter and honey swirled together in a metal saucepan with a dark gray spatula mixing it

In fact, you can customize the bars to your liking. Don’t like dried figs? Substitute your favorite dried fruit instead! Not a fan of peanut butter? Feel free to substitute almond butter or cashew butter instead. Keep in mind, if you are substituting another type of nut butter for the peanut butter you may need to use a bit more. Cashew and almond butter tend to have a bit of a drier consistency compared to peanut butter.

Do I need to use the stove for this recipe?

I recommend heating the peanut butter and honey on the stovetop over medium heat for about ninety seconds. You need just a bit of warmth to make the peanut butter and honey a bit more fluid. This step helps them combine with the oat mixture evenly.

a batch of peanut butter energy bar mixture being dumped out of a stainless steel mixing bowl into a square metal baking pan

You can mix the ingredients for the bars one of two ways. Either stir it by hand using a sturdy wooden spoon or if you have a stand mixer use it with the paddle attachment on low speed. I tested this recipe using both methods. Both work just fine, stirring this by hand gives your arm a bit of a strength training session but is totally doable!

peanut butter energy bar mixture flattened into a square baking pan using a flat black spatula to smooth the energy bar mixture and make it flat

Use a spatula to help push the energy bar mixture into the corners of the pan. Use your hands or press down on a large flat pancake turner to flatten it till it’s well compressed and flat. Be sure to put a lot of pressure on the mixture in the pan that way it packs and won’t fall apart when pulling it out of the baking pan. Leaving a bit of parchment paper hanging over the sides of the pan creates handles you can use to pull the chilled energy bars up and out of the pan easily when ready to slice into bars.

a whole energy bar recipe that is uncut being lifted out of square baking pan by parchment paper handles

The nutritional info for the recipe is based on one large bar out of eight servings. If you like, you can cut the bars into smaller portions. Wrap the bars in plastic wrap. The bars can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks or frozen in a Ziploc bag for a few months.

8 rectangular energy bars lying on a wrinkled sheet of parchment paper surrounded by a scattering of chocolate chips a grey linen napkin and a jar of honey with a dipper

Looking to make a brunch spread? Pair these bars with our Broccoli, Bacon and Cheddar Frittata, Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake and Watermelon Elderflower Sangria for a perfect summer menu! If you like these recipes you can subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the page. Every time we publish a new recipe you’ll receive it in your inbox!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bar

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Heidi Clark~Yums & Kisses
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 90 seconds
Total Time: 8+ hours or overnight
Yield: 8 bars 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bars! The best portable snack to tote along on your next adventure! Full of creamy peanut butter, rolled oats, dried figs, chocolate chips, and more! You’ll never shell out $$$ for store-bought energy bars again!

Scale

Ingredients

2 cups regular rolled oats

1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup millet

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

2 Tbsp chia seeds

1 Tbsp sesame seeds (toasted or untoasted)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or chip of your choice!)

1/2 cup chopped dried figs

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 and 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving the excess paper at the edges. You’ll need some paper to grab onto to lift bars out of the pan before cutting into bars.

In a large bowl combine everything but the peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract.

In a small saucepan, place the peanut butter and honey.

Warm the peanut butter and honey over medium heat for about ninety seconds to soften and combine them. This step makes it easier to work into the oat mixture. Pull peanut butter and honey from the stovetop and mix in the vanilla extract.

Pour warmed peanut butter and honey mixture over the oats. Using a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon mix well. This step takes a little bit of elbow grease. If you prefer, you can place oat mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed until well combined.

Once the mixture is combined, dump it into the lined baking pan. Using your hands press the mixture into the pan to form a level square. You can also use a spatula to help push it into the pan.

Place the pan into the refrigerator to chill until firm. Wait several hours before cutting into bars. If you are pressed for time, you can place the bars in the freezer for an hour to firm up.

When bars are thoroughly chilled, and firm grab the excess parchment paper along the edges and lift the bars up and out of the pan. Remove the parchment paper and place the square of energy bars on a large cutting board. Using a sharp knife cut into bars or squares. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap.

Bars may be refrigerated up to two weeks or place them in a Ziploc bag and freeze up to several months.

Notes

Don’t keep the bars in a hot car. They do not fare well! Take a cooler filled with ice and pop them in there.

Don’t like peanut butter? Almond butter works in this recipe, too! Feel free to substitute your favorite dried fruit as well!

Category: Snack
Method: stirred
Cuisine: American

Keywords: peanut butter energy bar,no bake, no bake energy bar, energy bar, peanut butter no bake energy bar, peanut butter bar, no bake peanut butter bar, peanut butter