Spiced pear oatmeal full of rolled oats, cooked pears, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter is a weekday breakfast delight.

Pear Oatmeal

A steamy bowl of fragrant oatmeal is a must on a cold morning. Oatmeal is the breakfast equivalent of a hearty soup when it comes to warming your entire body and fueling the belly when the temperature drops to chillier temperatures.

We have always been a family that enjoys waking up to a pot of oatmeal simmering on the stove for breakfast. But it wasn’t until moving to the midwest from Arizona that I fully understood its warming powers.

Warm spiced pear oatmeal with cinnamon, nuts, and brown sugar has the power to pull my flannel pajamaed kids out of bed. It is an easy oatmeal to make on the stovetop and leftovers heat right up in the microwave.

When making pear oatmeal I tend to go light on the brown sugar. Depending on the variety, pears have so much natural sweetness to them.

I wait until just before serving and top each serving with a teaspoon or two of brown sugar to melt with the butter for a delicious combination to mix into each bowl.

For most fruit desserts, pears included, I rarely peel the fruit. I’ve found that in most cases, the peels soften enough they don’t bother us a bit and we are happy to include them in the recipes.

Check out the best-ever peach cobbler and this peach oatmeal for proof of that.

However, in this recipe, because I like the pears to retain their fresh flavors, I don’t cook them in the oatmeal for more than a few moments to warm them. It’s worth a few minutes of effort to quickly peel them and avoid any tough peels in the oatmeal.

That said, if pear peels don’t bother you a bit? Feel free to skip that step.

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Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal is filled with soft apple slices, a sprinkling of brown sugar and spices, and oats cooked until tender.

As you know, we love Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and it has been one of my personal favorites for years. But when my boys requested oatmeal for the third time in a week, I decided to make something new.

Apple Pie Oatmeal

This oatmeal is a warm, comforting way to start the day, especially when you pair it with a hot cup of coffee, tea, or Cafe Con Leche. The aroma that the oatmeal creates in the house as it bakes is absolutely heavenly.

It’s so satisfying to eat a slice of this baked apple oatmeal in the morning and it makes a nice change from a regular bowl of oatmeal. It’s hearty enough to be breakfast all on its own but is also a welcome addition to any big weekend brunch spread.

For the record, I’ve yet to meet a version of baked oatmeal that I didn’t like and this Apple Pie Oatmeal is no different.

Baked Oatmeal with Apples

Baked Oatmeal is one of our all-time favorite breakfasts in this household. Baked oatmeal with apples? That’s a home run.

Apple slices are folded into the oats to bake along with all the other ingredients. I love the way the apples release their juices into the oatmeal as they bake, adding delicious flavor to every bite.

For this recipe, I upped the apple flavors by adding applesauce to the oat mixture instead of the usual oil. The applesauce provides that same level of moisture while taking the “apple-y” taste to the next level.

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Fresh cranberries and a hint of lemon are combined in this incredibly moist brown sugar streusel Cranberry Coffee Cake.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

There is just something about sitting down mid-morning with a fresh cup of coffee and a piece of coffee cake. It gives me a nostalgic feeling of when times were a bit slower and a neighbor might have stopped by to gossip after the kids left for school.

I know it is a bit of a small-town romantic notion, and perhaps I should turn off the holiday Hallmark movies. Regardless, I will just enjoy my cup of coffee with a piece of cranberry cake and a good book or phone call to catch up with a friend.

Cranberry Coffee Cake is not an overly sweet or fluffy cake. It’s a richly dense coffee cake with a lovely tartness from the cranberries.

When I say rich though, it is not sweet rich. The richness comes from the butter, eggs, and sour cream. Topped with buttery sugar topping it is perfect for a holiday brunch gathering.

If cranberries are not in season, (or if you do not currently have them stashed in your freezer) this cake will work nicely with blueberries as well. Frozen cranberries may be stirred into the batter straight from the freezer.

This coffee cake is really one of the easiest things you can make. Creaming the butter and sugar together smoothly is the first step. Add your remaining liquids and eggs.

Alternate adding the dry ingredients stirring just until combined each time. Take care to not overmix. One or two quick passes with your sp

Fluffy, buttery, nutty, pecan pancakes topped with maple syrup make for a tasty and easy breakfast we all enjoy.

Pecan Pancakes

Pancakes are truly one of the best breakfasts. You can make them in mere minutes and my family just can’t resist them. The smell of pancakes will pull them out of bed every time.

My favorite setting on my oven is the “warm setting”. It is perfect for pancake mornings. I can get a jump start before everyone wakes up and have them made and kept hot. Simply place the pancakes on a baking sheet when they’re done on the griddle and then pop them in the oven to hold.

If your oven doesn’t have this setting. Just turn it on at 150-200 degrees. This is just enough to keep your pancakes warm but not bake or cook them.

The Secret to Fluffy Pancakes

The secrets of pancake making are ones anyone can master and I share my secrets freely! So here goes what I get asked the most:

How do you get your pancakes so fluffy? Three things, baking soda, baking powder, and patience. Yes, patience is a key ingredient. Many recipes only use soda or only use baking powder.

A combination of both helps your pancakes be super fluffy. And patience, after mixing your batter, wait until you see bubbles. Rest your batter until it is covered in bubbles. Trust me.

Why do you use real buttermilk? I know there are lots of hacks for making buttermilk. But trust me when I say nothing beats the rich, flavor of real buttermilk when making pancakes. Please, whatever you do; don’t skip on the buttermilk for the tastiest pancakes.

If you make pancakes often, nothing beats a great electric griddle for streamlining the cooking process. A few years ago, when my 15-year-old griddle finally died, I tested every single griddle I could get my hands on.

When I finally tried

Brown sugar and butter simmer together and create a caramel toffee flavored homemade syrup like nothing you’ve ever tasted.

This sauce is no substitute for maple syrup, maple syrup is its own bit of wonderful that nothing can replace. Butter Sugar and Butter Homemade Syrup is awesome all by itself.

I drizzled this syrup over some Banana Nut Oatmeal last week and my boys liked it so much, they requested it on their oatmeal again the very next morning. I couldn’t resist making a batch of our favorite waffles for the last of the syrup.

This syrup is on par with our family’s beloved Waffle Sauce; it’s an entirely different kind of deliciousness and I already love it. If you enjoy homemade sauces and syrups as much as we do, you’ll want to try this awesome Buttermilk Syrup too, for another terrific homemade syrup option.

When my friend Rebecca told me about her recipe for Brown Sugar Butter Pancake and Waffle Syrup, I was immediately taken back to childhood when my mom used to make a simple sugar homemade syrup for our pancakes. This version, oh Mom forgive me, this version puts that one to shame times about 1000.

This is one instance where butter not only makes it better, but it transforms the recipe into something that will take your breath away with its deliciousness.

Your kitchen will smell amazing and you might even be left without words to describe it.

How To Make Homemade Syrup

1. Combine the sugar and water in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat to medium and allow the mixture to boil for 4 minutes.
2. Add the butter and stir until the butter has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the extract if desired.
3. Let the syrup cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a pitcher or jar for storage. Serve immediately or store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a month.

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