Tender, juicy baked pears are topped with a sweet and crunchy nut-oat crumble and a dollop of mascarpone cheese in this easy, delicious Baked Pears with Oat Crumble recipe.

Hey there, and welcome back, friends.

You are in for a treat!

Yes, I know it has felt like fall for most of us for a few weeks now, but I am so excited we can all finally settle into our boots, scarves, lattes, apple baking… and pumpkins! But let’s not forget about the pears.

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I’m taking some time off the next few weeks to spend time with our new baby boy. While I’m away, I’ve scheduled some recipes here and there to share with you, like these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars today. I couldn’t leave you hanging all summer long. 

OK, I’ll be the first to admit that these are not the prettiest of bars. But don’t let their looks fool you. These strawberry oatmeal bars are ridiculously addicting and one of the best things I’ve made in a while. You have to trust me on this 🙂

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Happy Monday folks! We are still on a breakfast kick around here and I hope you are getting some inspiration to make your breakfasts more delicious. Breakfasts are key to any healthy lifestyle and for me, it is even more so important that I don’t get bored with them. From healthier baked donuts, to berry green smoothies to new ways to enjoy oatmeal, I keep things ever changing. (Do you notice I can eat all these on the go? Also key in my morning routine y’all!!)

I love trying new types of hearty grains and steel cut oats is one of those that I tried last year and loved (along with amaranth, farro and freekeh but that’s a story for another day). It’s been a staple in my kitchen ever since and just love how it makes my mornings so much easier. The beauty of steel cut oatmeal (apart from the hearty texture and rich, nutty taste of whole oat) is that it is a blank canvas for your creativity! I love mixing in different things to add flavor, crunch and protein to my breakfast.

Today’s recipe is an easy combination of coconut (my absolute favorite) milk, toasted almonds for some crunch, a hint of ginger for some warm heat and of course lots of fresh winter fruits. Persimmons, grapefruits and pomegranates were what I had on hand that day so they went in the bowl to create a hearty breakfast. Don’t you just love the colors of winter’s favorites?

If you have not tried steel cut oats yet, please do so!! I grabbed this 24oz Quaker Steel Cut Oats from my local Target store along with a million other things I REALLY needed (yay target!). But seriously, here are some more recipe ideas to get you started on this wonderful oatmeal option.

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Yield: 4 servings

Coconut Almond Steel Cut Oatmeal with Winter Fruits

This creamy hearty oatmeal is a great way to start any day with nutty flavor and lots of fresh winter fruits to keep it exciting! 

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ cups coconut milk (about 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk)
• 1 cup Steel Cut Oats (I used Quaker)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar, honey or pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup combined unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tablespoons toasted almond slices
• Toppings:
• 1 persimmon, sliced into cubes
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• ½ grapefruit, peeled and sliced

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan bring water and coconut milk to boil over medium-high heat. Stir in oats, salt and ginger and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 25-30 minutes or until oats are your desired texture, stirring occasionally. Stir in agave nectar and coconut flakes/almond slices and cook for an addition minute.
2. Serve immediately with fresh fruits.

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Is Halloween one of your favorite holidays?? Are you rolling your eyes saying ‘Duh, Zainab. It is THE holiday of candies!’? That is what Mr. J says all the time. He is a huge fan of Halloween and sometimes I am not sure who he is buying the candies for—the kids trick-or-treating, or himself once they leave.

As for myself, Halloween is slowly growing on me. I am not a fan of the monsters and scary she-bang that goes with it. Yes. There, I said it. I’m a 30-year-old lady who is scared of monsters (and dislikes candy corn!!). Every year, I jump out of my skin a little when I see people dressed up in their scary costumes. Why can’t everyone be “Cinderella” or “Angry Birds” or “Flo”? Instead there are witches, Frankensteins, and Draculas roaming the night. Eeeeppp, pass me a cookie!!

I made these cookies in advance to test a recipe for Halloween night. While the kids coming to the door will be getting candy of their choice, we will be munching on these Halloween monster cookies as we wait through the night.

They are peanut butter oatmeal cookies that are crunchy and chewy! Just the way oatmeal cookies should be. They are a perfect treat for you peanut butter lovers (Mr J approves!!) as the extra Reese’s pieces add some more peanut love.

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Yield: ~ 30 cookies

Halloween Monster Cookies

These Halloween monster cookies are just crunchy delicious, and they make the perfect Halloween treat!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 ½ cups quick oats
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Saigon Cinnamon
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• ⅔ cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoon Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
• 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup Reese’s pieces

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda and cinnamon.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minute son medium speed. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined. Reduce speed to low and stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and Reese’s pieces. Chill dough for at least an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop cookie mounds onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes until cookies are just set. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Making this Recipe?

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As a Become a Better Baker Blog Ambassador, this post was sponsored by ACH Foods through their partnership with One2One Network. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired! 

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It seems as if everyone is sharing a list of their favorite things or gift guides to help folks out with their holiday shopping. Oh don’t worry, I will not be specifically helping you in that arena. This is not that kind of list. Instead, since we are all friends here, I am sharing with you a few of my (soon-to-be) or (I-wish-I-had) favorite things.

Aka I am thinking out loud my Christmas list for the hubs (which he usually shares with whoever asks him for ideas). But if you happen to have someone on your list with similar tastes, then you are in luck!

Here are a few of my (I-wish-I had) favorite things this holiday season:

Cookbooks: There are so many in this category but the most immediate ones right now that I can’t wait to get my hands on are:  The Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book, Bountiful, The Flavor Bible.

Kitchen Gadgets: With the amount of time I spend in the kitchen, I am always in need of some new tools and gadgets. Here are a few things I am looking at. These measuring cups, this layer cake slicing kit and cake box from Food52. I am in need of some serious storage for my flour, sugar and icing sugar. These OXO 5-Piece Good Grips Pop Containers Set are high up on my list. Finally, corpus amounts of Lágrima Pure Vanilla Extract that inspired the creation of these vanilla pomegranate oatmeal cookies.

Photography: This Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Lens but I will settle for its close relative here. (No I am not jumping the gun here, I bought a DSLR camera on black Friday!!! It should be delivered today but of course I won’t be home so I will have to figure out when I can go pick it up at UPS this week)

Fashion: I am not much of an online shopper when it comes to clothes. I love the in-store experience very much but with all the crowds these days and good deals online, I am coming around for somethings. Like these boots, boots and boots and this blazer from Zara!

Too much? Of course, but it’s Christmas 🙂

Anyway, onto these vanilla pomegranate oatmeal cookies.

I received a generous sample of vanilla extract from my friends at Lágrima. After trying their vanilla in several recipes over a week, I needed to showcase this high-quality pure vanilla extract in a stand-alone recipe. These vanilla oatmeal cookies highlight the flavor, aroma, and richness of the Ugandan vanilla beans used to make this extract.

These cookies are thick and chewy, and I just love how hearty oatmeal cookies are. The pomegranate gives the cookies an added crunch. Do not skip on using a good quality vanilla extract here because you will miss out on the enhanced flavor and aroma that makes these cookies delicious.

If you have a foodie or baker on your Christmas list, please get them Lágrima Vanilla Extract. Pretty pleased because they will never go back to generic or store-bought vanilla extract after they taste how real vanilla transforms a recipe. Enjoy these vanilla pomegranate oatmeal cookies!

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Yield: ~24 cookies

Vanilla Pomegranate Oatmeal Cookies

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup cake flour, sifted
• ¾ cup bread flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds (drained and dried on a paper towel)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and oats.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and pomegranate seeds using a stiff rubber spatula.
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
6. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out cookie dough and arrange 2 inches apart.
7. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.
8. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Making this Recipe?

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 This is NOT a sponsored post. I was offered a free sample of Lágrima Vanilla extract and was not required to write about it. All opinions are 100% mine. There are, however some affiliate links included.

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I am so happy to see you guys are really enjoying apple week. It looks like I am not the only one who is obsessed with enjoying everything with apples, cinnamon, and caramel. This is why we are friends I guess :). Here is another apple favorite in my kitchen. I’ve made these apple muffins with oatmeal topping several times this fall but it’s always a bad day/time to take pictures. I am not complaining because the muffins are moist, bursting with warm cinnamon spices, and have a crunchy oatmeal streusel topping. I will make them anytime in the name of ‘pictures’.

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