Sweet Pumpkin Seed Crumbles ♥
Crunchy clumps of oats and pumpkin seeds, more akin to a nut brittle than a breakfast-y granola. Honey-sweetened ... you can actually taste the honey that sweetens and binds the clumps! Seasonal, Absolutely Perfect for Fall. Great for Meal Prep.
Hello, October ... in some circles also known as Pumpkin Month, that precipitous head-first dive into the internet's obsession with all things pumpkin. But it's fun, yes?! (And heaven knows, we can certainly use an apolitical distraction.) I hardly know where to start, except, well, with my already burgeoning collection of pumpkin recipes, where a surprising number fall into the "savory" category. That said, it's the everyday pumpkin pancakes and muffins and donuts and quick bread which garnered the biggest smiles when I took a table poll last week. Go figure.
And because there are oats in Sweet Pumpkin Seeds Crumbles, you might even call this a granola. But I already have a recipe for Pumpkin Granola that employs the moisture in pumpkin purée and the warmth of autumn spices for a seasonal but still-traditional granola.
But these? These are Sweet Pumpkin Seed Crumbles, more akin to Turkish Sesame Candy or an almond brittle than either Pumpkin Granola or the house recipe for granola, Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots.
In fact? Sweet Pumpkin Seed Crumbles are not a "breakfast" granola at all. Instead, they're one of those "extras" that I meal prep and for the third year now, find ever so easy to find uses for during these last months of the year. (The rest of the year? The light and airy Maple-Glazed Pecans, so-so good!) I just love that bit of slightly sweet crunch for:
A bowl of butternut squash soup or a fall salad, just a sprinkle on top makes all the difference
Some sautéed fruit, maybe atop morning oatmeal or creamy custard or baked apples
A charcuterie platter
A simple scoop of ice cream
RECIPE for SWEET PUMPKIN SEED CRUMBLES
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45
Makes about 4-1/2 cups
Time to table: 45
Makes about 4-1/2 cups
Just six ingredients!
4 tablespoons (60g) salted butter, melted
1/4 cup (50g) dark brown sugar
5 tablespoons (100g) honey
2 cups (220g) old-fashioned oatmeal (uncooked oats, not quick, not instant)
2 cups (220g) raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Heat oven to 350F/180C. Line a baking sheet with parchment. (FYI, a silicone liner makes for easier clean-up but I recommend parchment because the Crumbles turn out too sticky on silicone.)
In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave in 15-second increments. Stir in the brown sugar to cool down the butter, then the honey. (Doing the brown sugar first helps prevents the honey from seizing up when it hits the warm butter, that's #ExperienceTalkin. If you take the time to cool the melted butter, order isn't important.) Stir in the oats and pumpkin seeds, really turning the mixture with a spatula or spoon to coat the oats and pumpkin seeds evenly; take a little time here, it makes a difference.
Spread the mixture evenly across the lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 20 – 25 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes and 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven but do not stir for 5 – 10 minutes – but don't let the Crumbles cool much longer before breaking up, they'll be hard to break apart into pieces.
MAKE-AHEAD Sweet Pumpkin Seed Crumbles keep for several weeks, just store them in a tight container in the fridge.
ALANNA'S TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
TIMING The timing on this recipe is a little tricky, it took me a few tries to get it right in my oven, yours could be slightly different. First, the oven timing. You want the oats to turn golden, the pepitas change only slightly. In my oven, that means 22 minutes (specifically, 10 minutes + stir + another 5 minutes + check + another 5 minutes + check + usually another 2 minutes). Second, cooling time, after finishing in the oven. Stir too soon and the clumps won't firm up. Stir too late and the sheet will be rock hard. For me, the magic point is somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes.
SORGHUM I keep meaning to try sorghum instead of honey, I have the idea it would be fabulous and oh-so-midwestern!
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from Kitchen Parade, my food column
SEASONAL EATING: THIS SAME WEEK ACROSS THE YEARS
Noodles with Sour Cream Spinach with Nutmeg Easy Sweet Pepper Soup Rich Tomato Orange Soup Survivor Soup Broccoli & Tomato Thai Curry Spicy Carrot Puree with Harissa Pumpkin Bars Sautéed Okra & Garlic Smoked Scallops with Zucchini Ribbons One-Skillet Cauliflower with Cheese Pumpkin Dip Supper Casserole with Pumpkin & Green Chile Cornbread Topping (< great fall supper!) My Favorite Way to Roast Beets (< people love this technique!) Favorite Pumpkin Recipes (< that time of year!) Roasted Whole Red Onions with Sweet Potatoes & Rosemary Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Orange Fresh-Tomato ChiliA Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2018
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2018
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna