How Sweet Eats: Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Morsel Muffins

Christmas breakfast is serious business.  There needs to be some protein and some carbs.  It needs to be made (mostly) ahead of time, but still be fantastically delicious and satisfying.  After all, it needs to compete with the opening of all of the presents that are waiting patiently under the tree.  And that's a hard sell for any breakfast.  But the first item on the menu, these muffins, fulfill all of the categories and leave a smile on everyone's faces.  Slather warm muffins in butter for full effect.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Morsel Muffins
Adapted from How Sweet Eats blog

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole milk, divided use
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin spice morsels or chocolate chips
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Add oats to a bowl and add ½ cup of the milk. Let soak for 5 to 10 minutes, while you prepare the first few steps of the muffins.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, combine butter and brown sugar and beat until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla, mixing well. Add flour mixture alternately with the remaining milk in two to three portions. Add the oat mixture and combine until smooth. Fold in pumpkin spice morsels or chocolate chips.

Spray a muffin tin with baking spray, and place a liner in each cup. Pour about ¼ cup batter into each cup. Sprinkle the tops with raw turbinado sugar. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until cooked through.

Makes 12 muffins