Pumpkin Nutella Oatmeal Muffins

Hope you are enjoying the highlights of fall…

I know we are!

Football, Colorful trees, Bonfires, Apples and, of course, Pumpkins. 

Funny thing though, in my house, when my kids request something…

they never quite get exactly what they are asking for, 

but are generally pleased with what they get instead.  

In this case, Ryker asked for banana muffins and 

while taking on some of the male traits in my house, 

I selectively heard "muffins".

So, I was more than happy to fulfill his request.  

I'm pretty sure that if these were straight up pumpkin muffins, 

he would have been somewhat disappointed.  

However, the Nutella in the middle, makes these out of this world.  

The creamy, nutty, chocolate-y middle 

was a perfect contrast for the oatmeal and pumpkin muffin. 

But, don't take my word for it…try it for yourself. 

I just started with a basic pumpkin bread recipe and made my own tweaks along the way.  

About 1 cup of pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup of canola oil, 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, 1/4 cup water and 2 eggs were measured into my trusty mixing bowl. 

After mixing, it looked like I went into the baby-food making business.  

Not so much. 

I happen to be a huge fan of oatmeal in my baked goods, 

so instead of adding flour next, 

I added 1 cup of quick oats, 

I could balance out the flour later once I knew the consistency. 

Then, I only went with 1/2 cup of sugar. 

Especially when adding embellishments like chocolate or Nutella, 

the baked goods themselves can thrive on less sugar. 

Then, for the minor ingredients, the traditional pumpkin spices were added,

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

along with 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. 

After mixing that all up, I decided that about 1 cup of flour would yield the desired consistency. 

Yep, looks about right!

Before I get too far ahead of myself, the oven needs to be pre-heated to 350 F. 

Then, a sprayed muffin tin can be filled 3/4 full with the muffin batter. 

Now, about 1 tbsp of Nutella was plopped into each muffin tin. 

Then, just using a knife, the Nutella was gently swirled into the batter. 

Upon completion, there was just a hint of the Nutella visible from the top. 

They were popped into the oven for 20-25 minutes. 

This is what mine looked like after 22 minutes. 

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 cup of pumpkin puree

1/2 cup of canola oil

1/2 cup of light brown sugar

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

1 cup quick oats

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup flour
Cooking spray

3/4 cup Nutella - divided into Tbsp

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Blend together the first 5 wet ingredients. 
Then add the next 8 dry ingredients. 
Pour muffin batter into sprayed muffin tins, filling about 3/4 full. 
Add about 1 tbsp of Nutella to each tin and gently swirl with a knife to incorporate. 
Bake for 20-25 minutes and allow to cool. 

I love having baked goods around. 

My kids were able to enjoy them for breakfast and after school snacks

AND

I was able to share a few with friends!  

Banana Nutella Crepes (gluten-free!)

Hi y'all!  Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

I'm excited about some of the developments around the All Things Libby yard this weekend.

First of all, we have our garden plot ready to go, are so super excited about growing our own vegetables and sharing the experience with the kids.  Learning the basics about the simple joys of life, reaping the rewards of your labor.

There was an overgrown flower bed in the back corner of the yard and while I hated to lose what was nice, the whole thing was just OUT. OF. CONTROL!!!  Ask any of our neighbors.  So, I did salvage a few lilies and will place them elsewhere.

I'm a girl who is not afraid of a little hard work and am always thrilled when the whole family can be part of the fun!

We also picked up our first batch of annuals to plant for the summer.  I never really plan out my planters very well.  Just grab some old favorites and always like to try out something new.  Will head to  The Berry Basket again this week to round out the needs for the planters and garden.

Just love the local, personal feel of The Berry Basket, and they are only a mile from my house, so that helps too!

Other than all of the outdoor excitement, I had some indoor/kitchen success too.  After many iterations, these gluten-free Banana Nutella Crepes finally came together.

Not gonna lie…gluten free baking is harder than I thought!

With all of my food experience, making my way around a kitchen is generally a breeze.  I can whip up just about anything, anytime, for anyone, with little apprehension.  Sometimes, I start with the end in mind…give me a soup or dish and I can pull it off.  Other times, I pull out what I want to use and see how it comes together.

Well, taking the gluten out of crepes really tested my abilities, but I'm not complaining.  It was fun to experiment and learn, of course, the most rewarding part was the successful, delicious end result.

But, before I get to the recipe, I'm going to take you on a little trip down memory lane.

Twenty two years ago…when I was a wee teenager and my eldest niece was just an infant, my family and I ventured to Paris to meet this first member of the next generation.

Since I was all of 13 years old, I was not overly impressed with the French culture or much of the food (other than the bread), but those crepes did make quite the impression on me.  If I come across a picture of a homely teen eating crepes Paris, I will be sure to share.

While my parents enjoyed the Grand Mariner crepes, my brother and I devoured the Nutella crepes and luckily, those crepe stands in Paris are like Walgreens in Chicago…one of every corner.  Looking back, there was no doubt who the Americans were.

Ok, now that I have my warm fuzzy feeling, we can move on.

I won't bore you with all of the iterations that didn't work, I will just say that the proteins in nut flours do not function similarly to wheat flour.  Ultimately, I nixed the flour alternatives completely.

This amazing creation began by simply whipping up 3 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 3 tsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp cinnamon (optional).

This should be a very thin batter, as crepes could be described as a very thin, eggy pancake.

I used a medium-sized pan, over low heat, so that the batter can be evened out in the pan before it starts to cook.

Coconut oil was perfect for this dish, just a teaspoon or so into the pan to melt, then wiped out, leaving just a thin layer.

Pour in a quarter cup of the batter and tilt the pan in all directions to even it out before cooking.

As it cooks, the edges will pull away from the side of the pan, a good indicator that the crepe is almost ready to be flipped.

Crepes are tender creatures, so flip with care!

The sugar in the batter is responsible for adding some browning and texture in addition to the sweetness.

Now, for the filling….

Just a perfectly ripe banana sliced up and fresh jar of Nutella.  

Start by slathering on the Nutella. 

Then added the bananas.  

I generally work in halves or quarters…beginning with the end in mind, so that the crepe can be folded...

first in half

then in half again, for devouring.  

The boys were not disappointed after having to wait a little longer than expected for this tasty breakfast.  

I mean, really, how can you go wrong with egg, bananas and chocolate for breakfast! 

RECIPE:

Ingredients: (makes 4 crepes)
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Coconut Oil

Directions:

Whisk all of the ingredient together until smooth.  

Melt 1 teaspoon over low heat in medium pan.  Wipe out excess, leaving just a thin layer behind.  

Add 1/3 cup of batter to pan, tilt pan in all direction to even out batter. 

Let cook until the edges start to pull away from pan and crepe is ready to be flipped. 

Flip and cook for a few more minutes on the 2nd side.  

Layer in Nutella and bananas, or your favorite sweet or savory filling. 

Fold into quarters and devour!