Sprung At Last

You are here: Home / Archives for baking

Oatmeal Pie, Because I Love You

by // 1 Comment

I originally found this recipe on a blog called Spellbound Cafe. I have no idea what I was looking for at the time, but this recipe promised me that I would taste the pie and be amazed, so I printed it out. I’m glad I did, because the Spellbound Cafe blog, sadly, no longer seems to be there. And I’ve made this pie several times since I found it, always to rave reviews.

Part of the reason I make this pie so often: I always have the ingredients I need for it on hand in my pantry. I guess not everyone keeps Karo syrup and coconut around, but if you do, then you are always ready to show up with a fresh-made pie that will knock people’s socks off. And you can just shrug and say, Oh, you know, it’s just a little something I whipped up at the last minute. You won’t be lying.

People have to decide whether to love you or hate you at that moment. If they want the recipe, though, and you agree to share it*, they’ll opt for love.

I don’t even bother to make my own pie crust. Nobody cares about the crust on this pie. The filling is just that good: Sweet and silky-smooth contrasting with the slightly crunchy/slightly chewy oatmeal and coconut. Think pecan pie, but better.

No, it doesn’t look like much. The Wow just kind of sneaks up on you.

That’s how love works, sometimes.

Oatmeal Pie, Because I Love You
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • ⅔ cup White Karo Syrup
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ⅔ cup melted butter
  • 3 beaten eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ⅔ cup oatmeal
  • ⅔ cup coconut
  • 9 inch pie shell
Instructions
  1. Mix it all up in order. Pour into pie shell.
  2. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Center should spring back when touched lightly. If it's wibbly-wobbly, it's not done, and needs more time in the oven.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

*You don’t have to. I won’t tell.

Pumpkin Coffeecake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel

by // 10 Comments

The hardest part of Thanksgiving, for me, is this: What do I eat for breakfast?

I have a day off, and thus, eating cereal while not being in a rush seems like a waste of a perfectly good breakfast. But I host Thanksgiving every year, which means by the time I get up on Thursday to get the bird in the oven, half my dishes are already in the dishwasher and the other half are headed there. I guess I could have some bagels on hand, but that seems heavy, given there’s a big meal on its way. Yes, I could buy something, but that too seems to come up short in light of all the traditional home cooking that engulfs my kitchen that day.

I want something that says Thanksgiving: seasonal, home-made, traditional.

This year, though, I think I’ve finally found the perfect thing. I received a review copy of Home Baked Comfort (Williams-Sonoma), and after making the Lemon-Blueberry Loaf with great success a couple of times, I decided that the Pumpkin Coffeecake might be just the thing to kick off my Thanksgiving morning. I baked it on Wednesday, so it would be waiting for me Thursday morning.

What with having cranberries and twice-baked potatoes on the brain, I managed to make mistakes in pretty much every step of the recipe. I misread the butter and flour quantities, and ended up with one giant streusel crumb rather than a bowl full of small ones. I attempted to correct the error without much luck, and ended up having to chop the streusel into the required little pieces. I used the wrong size pan. I forgot to set the timer on the oven.

It was delicious in spite of me: Moist and spicy and pumpkiny. The recipe calls for a glaze but I don’t think it needs it. Three days later, it’s still lovely with a warm cup of coffee.


Pumpkin Coffeecake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Ingredients
Streusel
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 6 tbsp cold butter, cut in pieces
  • 1 cup lightly toasted chopped pecans
Coffeecake
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan.
  2. Make the streusel: In food processor, whir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, then add the cold butter and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in pecans.
  3. Make the batter: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
  4. In a stand mixer fitter with the paddle, beat butter and brown sugar until well combined. beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add pumpkin and sour cream and mix well. Stir in the flour mixture; batter will be quite thick.
  5. Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the streusel on top. Spread remaining batter over that, and top with remaining streusel. Bake about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

 

This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Why not swing by and see what other culinary surprises await?

About Me

If you’re just jumping in, you might have some questions, which I’ve tried to answer here.

Legalese

Legal information is here
Web Analytics