Category: Brunch

Blueberry Coffee Cake

This sweet blueberry coffee cake is full of juicy blueberries and has a yummy crumble topping that makes it perfect for brunch or a snack.

This sweet blueberry coffee cake is full of juicy blueberries and has a yummy crumble topping that makes it perfect for brunch or a snack.

Easy Pancake Muffins

Easy Pancake Muffins
Say goodbye to messy pancake flipping with our Easy Pancake Muffins! These bite-sized delights offer all the fluffy, delicious goodness of pancakes in a convenient, grab-and-go form. Perfect for busy mornings or a fun breakfast twi…

Pancake Muffins square

Easy Pancake Muffins

Say goodbye to messy pancake flipping with our Easy Pancake Muffins! These bite-sized delights offer all the fluffy, delicious goodness of pancakes in a convenient, grab-and-go form. Perfect for busy mornings or a fun breakfast twist, they’re sure to become a family favorite. Pancake Muffins Recipe Around my house, pancakes are definitely the breakfast favorite.…

READ: Easy Pancake Muffins

Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake Cones

Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake Cones with creamy cheesecake filling and crunchy white chocolate coated waffle cones are an easy homemade treat your family will love!

Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake Cones with creamy cheesecake filling and crunchy white chocolate coated waffle cones are an easy homemade treat your family will love!

Caramel Monkey Bread

monkey bread on a white plate covered in nuts.Caramel Monkey Bread is the perfect breakfast or dessert! It’s monkey bread mixed with sticky buns to make the best caramel pull-apart you’ve ever had! In my family, we would always make monkey bread for Christmas and we also love sticky buns – this recipe is the perfect combination of both. PLUS they’re easy to…

monkey bread on a white plate covered in nuts.

Caramel Monkey Bread is the perfect breakfast or dessert! It’s monkey bread mixed with sticky buns to make the best caramel pull-apart you’ve ever had!

monkey bread on a white plate covered in nuts.

In my family, we would always make monkey bread for Christmas and we also love sticky buns – this recipe is the perfect combination of both. PLUS they’re easy to make with frozen dinner rolls. Gooey Caramel Monkey Bread is the perfect breakfast or brunch and you don’t need any special equipment to make it.

ingredients in caramel monkey bread on a white marble counter.

Ingredients Needed

  • Dinner Rolls: This recipe uses frozen dinner rolls – like Rhodes brand – the kind that needs to rise.
  • Butterscotch Pudding: Not instant pudding! Use cook ‘n serve pudding mix.
  • Butter: I typically use unsalted but salted butter may be substituted.
  • Nuts: Pecans and Walnuts are great options, use your favorite.
  • Brown Sugar: This is what we use to make the gooey caramel sauce.

Using Pillsbury Biscuits

You can make this with the traditional ingredient – canned biscuit dough. You will be able to skip the rising step, but otherwise the recipe is the same. See the recipe below for instructions.

process shot of caramel monkey bread being made.
process shot of caramel monkey bread being made.
process shot of caramel monkey bread being made.
process shot of caramel monkey bread being made.
process shot of caramel monkey bread being made.
process shot of caramel monkey bread being made.

How to Make Caramel Monkey Bread

  1. Thaw frozen rolls until they are just thawed (not risen), about 1-2 hours.
  2. Use kitchen shears to cut biscuits into 6 pieces.
  3. Mix together butter and brown sugar.
  4. Place nuts and some biscuit pieces in your bundt pan, sprinkle with butterscotch pudding mix, continue layering, then add the butter mixture.
  5. Cover and let rise.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls until the top is somewhat firm and the center is soft but not gooey-soft. Cool no longer than 5 minutes, then turn pan over on serving plate.
monkey bread on a white plate covered in nuts.

Expert Tips

  • I speed up the rising process by placing the pan on top of my stove. The oven was running baking other things, and the rolls rose in about 1 hour.
  • I suggest making these the night before and refrigerating them until morning. Let them come to room temperature while the oven is preheating, then bake as directed.
  • Butterscotch pudding mix might seem strange, but that mixed with the brown sugar and butter is what creates the gooey caramel. It’s so much easier than using a saucepan to boil sugar and heavy cream.
  • These can also be made in a 9×13-inch cake pan. Baking time will be less.

Storage

Store leftover rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze leftovers!

monkey bread on a white plate covered in nuts.
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Caramel Monkey Bread Recipe

This recipe is going to be your favorite fancy breakfast! Easy frozen dinner rolls are transformed into a gooey caramel pecan monkey bread!
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 11 hours
Servings 10 servings
Calories 343kcal
Author Dorothy Kern
Cost $8

Ingredients

  • 16 frozen dinner rolls (such as Rhodes)
  • 1 3.5 ounce cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding (NOT instant!)
  • ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter , melted

Instructions

  • Thaw frozen rolls until they are just thawed (not risen), about 1-2 hours.
  • Use kitchen shears to cut each roll into 6 pieces.
  • Coat a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle all of the nuts in the bottom of the pan. Place half of the roll pieces over the nuts. Sprinkle half of the pudding mix over the rolls. 
  • Stir together melted butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Pour half over the pudding mix. Top with remaining rolls, pudding mix, and sugar-butter mixture.
  • Cover with plastic wrap coated with nonstick cooking spray and let rise overnight, or at least 8 hours. (NOTE: I sped up the rising process by placing the pan on top of my stove. The oven was running baking other things, and the rolls rose in about 1 hour. I suggest making these the night before and refrigerating them until morning. Let them come to room temperature while the oven is preheating, then bake as directed.)
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls for 30-35 minutes until the top is somewhat firm and the center is soft but not gooey-soft. Cool no longer than 5 minutes, then turn pan over on serving dish. Enjoy warm right from the oven!

Video

Notes

To use Pillsbury canned biscuits, use 2 cans Grands! and slice each into 6 pieces. Skip all the rising steps; layer the biscuits in the pan as directed and then bake right away.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 3mg

Other Monkey Bread Recipe

easiest cinnamon rolls

What if I told you I had a from-scratch cinnamon roll recipe that was effortlessly veganized, required no kneading, and could be coming out of your oven in just over two hours? And what if I told you’d I’d been making it for years and didn&…

What if I told you I had a from-scratch cinnamon roll recipe that was effortlessly veganized, required no kneading, and could be coming out of your oven in just over two hours? And what if I told you’d I’d been making it for years and didn’t tell you about it because I thought, for some bizarre reason, that the site didn’t need another breakfast bun recipe? Yes, I’d throw a jar of cinnamon at my head too. Good news, though, you can stop yelling now because I’ve come to my senses.

magical cinnamon buns-01
magical cinnamon buns-02
magical cinnamon buns-04

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Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin waffles are perfect for fall! They’re lightly spiced and made with real pumpkin puree for a cozy special breakfast.…

Pumpkin waffles are perfect for fall! They’re lightly spiced and made with real pumpkin puree for a cozy special breakfast. We love them with a drizzle of maple syrup and a dollop of almond butter.

Pumpkin waffles

Why we love this recipe

It’s fall and that means: cue the pumpkin recipes! It’s our goal to turn just about everything imaginable into a pumpkin flavored version of itself. Of course, that extends to hummus, pasta, coffee, pancakes, soup, oatmeal…and waffles!

These Pumpkin Waffles are the ideal fall breakfast, featuring cozy spices and pumpkin puree. They’re just sweet enough and topped with a little pure maple syrup…let’s just say they went over like a charm over here.

Ingredient notes for pumpkin waffles

Here’s the thing: pumpkin is very dense, so adding it to waffles can make them thick and weighty. Instead, we formulated this pumpkin waffles recipe so that it uses just enough pumpkin to bring in a light orange hue, but not so much that each bite is weighed down with vegetable puree. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for these pumpkin waffles:

  • All purpose flour: For gluten-free, you could swap in 1-to-1 gluten-free flour (or make these almond flour-based gluten free waffles and add pumpkin spices).
  • Brown sugar: We typically sweeten waffle batter with maple syrup, but the consistency is better with sugar here because of the moisture in the pumpkin.
  • Pumpkin puree: Make sure it’s puree, not pie filling.
  • Pumpkin pie spice: Use purchased or homemade pumpkin pie spices.
  • Eggs: These help hold the batter together and give it a little lift.
  • Milk: Use your milk of choice; oat milk is a great substitute for dairy-free.
Pumpkin waffles

For the pumpkin pie spice

Here’s a secret: most of what people love about pumpkin recipes are the spices—not the actual pumpkin itself! Pumpkin is pretty bland and bitter right out of the can. Our favorite way to flavor it is with our homemaker spice blend, which makes a large batch. You can also make a smaller size for this recipe. Here’s what to do:

  • Make a batch: Mix up this Pumpkin Pie Spice: it makes ¼ cup, which is enough for 4 pumpkin waffles recipes.
  • Or, make a small recipe: For the 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice in the recipe, use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon each cloves and nutmeg.

Standard waffles vs Belgian waffles

You can make these pumpkin waffles two ways: using a standard waffle maker or make them into Belgian waffles. We prefer Belgian waffles since they’re taller and fluffier than standard waffles, and just plain more fun to eat. Here are the differences between the two:

  • Belgian waffles are twice as large as regular waffles: they’re thicker with a deeper grid pattern. Remember a serving size is ½ of the waffle, because it’s double a standard waffle.
  • Standard waffles are thinner, around 1/2-inch thick. If you’re making a standard waffle, the serving size is 1 waffle.

Looking for a waffle iron? Here’s a Belgian waffle iron we use and love!

Pumpkin waffles

Once you’ve whipped up a batch of pumpkin waffles, the fun begins! Top them up to make them into a healthy or no so healthy breakfast. Here’s what we used, and a few more ideas:

Storing leftovers

Don’t want to do all the work every time? Make a double batch of these pumpkin waffles and save more for later! Here’s what to do:

  • To store: Make the waffles, then let them cool completely on a wire rack. Once they’ve cooled, stack the waffles in a freezer-safe baggie. They’ll keep for up to 3 months.
  • To reheat: Pop them into the toaster and cook them on a low setting for just a few seconds, repeating it two or three times. Or, warm them on an oiled baking sheet in a 300 degree oven (make sure to oil the sheet or the waffles will stick!).

Pumpkin waffles toppings

Wondering how to top these pumpkin waffles? Here are a few topping ideas we love:

  • Almond butter: This is our top pick for pumpkin waffles because it offsets the sweet with richness, and adds a hit of plant-based protein.
  • Chopped pecans or walnuts: These nuts both go well with pumpkin! Make toasted pecans or toasted walnuts to bring out their flavor even more.
  • Greek yogurt with maple syrup: Mix ½ cup Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon maple syrup and ½ teaspoon vanilla and use it for dolloping.
  • Make it dessert: ice cream! Turn this pumpkin waffle into dessert by topping it with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
Pumpkin waffles

More pumpkin breakfast recipes

There are so many fun pumpkin breakfast recipes to make your fall morning cozy. Here are a few ideas:

Dietary notes

This pumpkin waffles recipe is vegetarian and dairy-free.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned?

Absolutely! Fresh pumpkin puree will give your waffles a slightly more vibrant flavor. Just make sure to cook and puree the pumpkin until it’s smooth and free of excess moisture.

Can I freeze pumpkin waffles?

Absolutely! Freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag for longer storage. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

My waffles are sticking to the waffle iron. What am I doing wrong?

Make sure your waffle iron is properly heated and greased before adding the batter. You may also need to adjust the cooking time depending on your waffle iron.

Can I add chocolate chips to the batter?

Chocolate chips would be a delicious addition: pumpkin and chocolate go hand in hand! You can also add other mix-ins like chopped nuts or dried cranberries.

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Pumpkin waffles

Easy Pumpkin Waffles

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 (4 standard or 2 large Belgian waffles)
Save Recipe
Print Recipe

Description

Pumpkin waffles are perfect for fall! They’re lightly spiced and made with real pumpkin puree for a cozy special breakfast.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice*
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¾ cup milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy)
  • ¼ cup neutral oil (like organic vegetable oil, organic canola, or grapeseed)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the waffle iron to the high heat setting.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the all purpose flour, baking powder, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and kosher salt until thoroughly combined.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin puree, milk, and neutral oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk vigorously until the batter is mostly smooth.
  4. Lightly brush oil onto the waffle maker. Immediately, add the batter (1 ¼ cups for a Belgian waffle maker and a little over ½ cup for a standard waffle maker) into the center of the waffle iron, then cook according to the waffle iron’s instructions. Remove the cooked waffles and place them on a baking sheet without stacking. Make the waffles to order, or place cooked waffles in a 250°F oven to keep warm.
  5. Cooked waffles can be frozen; place them in a plastic bag and remove the remaining air with a straw before sealing. To reheat, remove from the freezer and lightly toast in a toaster.

Notes

*Or substitute 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. 

  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Waffles
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Brown Sugar Granola

This Brown Sugar Granola cereal with oats and almonds is one of our favorite breakfasts. Serve this homemade granola recipe in a bowl with milk or just eat it by the handful for an on-the-go breakfast. Ok, who are the cereal lovers out there? I could h…

This Brown Sugar Granola cereal with oats and almonds is one of our favorite breakfasts. Serve this homemade granola recipe in a bowl with milk or just eat it by the handful for an on-the-go breakfast. Ok, who are the cereal lovers out there? I could have eaten cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not sure…

The post Brown Sugar Granola appeared first on Tastes of Lizzy T.

Overnight Oats

This overnight oats recipe is the epitome of a healthy, easy breakfast! On weekdays, we make it almost daily for…

This overnight oats recipe is the epitome of a healthy, easy breakfast! On weekdays, we make it almost daily for our kids. Here’s how to make it, including all our tips and topping ideas.

Overnight oats

Why we love this recipe

Looking for the epitome of an easy breakfast idea? Try this overnight oats recipe! There’s no cooking involved here: in fact, you can mix up a jar in just 2 minutes. Leave rolled oats in the fridge overnight with milk, and it magically makes them into a sort of porridge. Eat them cold topped with berries or nut butter and they’re absolutely fantastic!

This easy breakfast has been trendy for years now. But it wasn’t until recently that Alex and I found a recipe that we actually like. We make this one almost every day for our son, who gobbles them up! Here are lots of tips and topping ideas for how to make the best overnight oats ever.

How to make overnight oats

This overnight oats recipe has just 4 ingredients, plus salt. That’s less than most recipes you’ll find! Here’s the breakdown of what you’ll need (or jump to the recipe below):

  • Rolled Old Fashioned oats*
  • Milk of choice (2%, oat milk, or almond milk or other)
  • Maple syrup
  • Vanilla

That’s it! Throw them into a jar and leave the in the refrigerator overnight. Instant breakfast! Here’s the thing though: there are a few tips to keep in mind about this process.

Overnight oats recipe

Use Old Fashioned rolled oats, not steel cut

This overnight oats recipe is for Old Fashioned rolled oats, the kind that you use to make your standard oatmeal that look like flat discs. Do not use steel cut oats here! Steel cut oats are whole grains that are cut into nubs instead of rolled out, which looks like brown rice or barley. For fun, we tested the overnight process with steel cut oats, but it turned out terribly. The texture of the oats tasted soaked grains of rice, even after several days in the refrigerator.

Some people think that steel cut oats are healthier than rolled oats. That’s actually not true! Both varieties have very similar nutritional profiles: lots of protein and fiber to start your day. So opt for rolled oats here and you’re losing nothing. (Read more at Steel Cut vs Rolled Oats.)

Chia seeds aren’t required!

Most overnight oats recipes have chia seeds in them. Confession: we tried an overnight oats with chia seeds recipe a few years ago, and it turned us off on the concept for years. Chia seeds form a gel when they’re wet, so they give overnight oats a jelly-like quality. To us, this wasn’t appetizing!

If this has happened to you before: never fear! Chia seeds aren’t essential for overnight oats. Overnight oats are simply oats soaked with milk and seasonings. So the texture here is just softened oats—not jelly-like at all!

How to make overnight oats

Serving overnight oats

Overnight oats are typically eaten cold right from the refrigerator. This makes it a little different from normal oats, so you have to get used to it. Think of it more like a combination between breakfast cereal and oatmeal.

Want to heat it up instead? You can do that too! Microwave it for about 40 to 60 seconds, stopping about halfway through to stir. Make sure you have enough room in your jar for overflow. You also can heat it on the stovetop, though that’s kind of defeating the purpose of these oats! In that case, you might as well just make oatmeal (it takes only a few minutes).

Storing leftovers

The texture of overnight oats is not like normal oatmeal. It’s softer and a little more gooey—but it’s very delicious, once you get used to it!

So, this overnight oats recipe is best eaten the day after you make it. We found that the texture of oats can get very soggy and gooey after a few days in the refrigerator. If you don’t mind that, you can store it 2 to 3 days. We like it best eaten the next day.

Overnight oats

Healthy overnight oats topping ideas!

Once you’ve got your tasty overnight oats, you can decide on your toppings! Here’s the thing: many overnight oats recipes have loads of sugar in the toppings. For us, we prefer not to overload on sugar for the first meal of the day! So here are some ideas for healthy overnight oats topping ideas:

  • Fresh fruit like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sliced bananas, or cubed apples
  • Nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or pecan butter
  • Sweeteners like honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup
  • Dried fruit like dried cranberries, dried cherries, or raisins
  • Nuts and seeds like almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pepitas, or chia seeds (as a garnish)
Best overnight oats

More oatmeal recipes

We love this overnight oats recipe, but Alex and I are partial to regular oatmeal and our baked oatmeal. This overnight oats is a close second—but our son Larson loves it the most! Here are a few more of our favorite oatmeal recipes:

Dietary notes

This overnight oats recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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Overnight oats

Overnight Oats (The Best Easy Recipe!)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 minutes
  • Total Time: 7 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving
Save Recipe
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Description

This overnight oats recipe is the epitome of a healthy, easy breakfast! Here’s how to make it, with lots of tips and topping ideas.

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup rolled Old Fashioned oats*
  • ¾ cup milk of choice (2%, oat milk, or almond milk)
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Topping ideas: berries, banana slices, diced apple, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter,  toasted nuts, dried fruit, maple syrup, etc. 

Instructions

  1. Place the oats, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a small jar with a cover and stir or shake to combine.
  2. Leave in the refrigerator or overnight. The oats are best the next day, but you can store 2 to 3 days (the texture becomes more sticky). This oatmeal is meant to be enjoyed cold straight from the refrigerator. Add toppings and enjoy! If you’d like, you also can microwave the jar for about 40 to 60 seconds.

Notes

*Do not use steel cut oats. 

  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Stirred
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan