Here we are, six days from Thanksgiving. Six days!
I’ll have one more holiday recipe for you on Monday—a really simple one—but first, pie. More specifically, Buttermilk Pie with Oatmeal Crust.
Just imagine a layer of vanilla-scented buttermilk custard soft enough to squidge (technical term) against your teeth, and a crisp, lightly-spiced crust reminiscent of an old-fashioned oatmeal cookie. That’s what you get with this recipe.
Oh, and it’s easy. The filling comes together with a whisk and a mixing bowl. It’s incredibly simple, and the results are old-fashioned and delicious.
As for the crust, well, let’s just say I’m in love. It’s a little thicker than your average pastry crust, but it’s also like a big cookie—a big cookie filled with buttermilk custard!
This oatmeal crust comes together in a food processor before being pressed into a greased pie plate. No need for chilling, rolling or crimping. Easy easy easy.
And did I mention that both components just happen to be gluten-free? Yesssss. I love inclusive recipes—that goes double at the holidays.
Buttermilk Pie with Oatmeal Crust {Gluten-Free}
makes one 9-inch pie
Oatmeal Crust:
3 cups old-fashioned oats* (use certified gluten-free for gluten-free crust)
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter,* cut into pieces
4 tablespoons water
Buttermilk Pie Filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup buttermilk (preferably whole)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
For serving (optional):
whipped cream
Place an oven rack in the lowest position, leaving a lot of headroom above. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a pie plate.
Make the crust. Scatter oats in an even layer on a rimmed sheet pan. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool a few minutes.
Add oats to the bowl of a food processor, along with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and butter. Process to combine. Add water and process again until clumps form.
Press mixture in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie plate. Place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 10 minutes.
Make the pie filling. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs for 2 minutes, or until very thick and foamy. Gradually whisk in sugar mixture, followed by melted butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Mixture will be thin. Pour into crust.
Carefully move the pie (still on the baking sheet) to the oven. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake for another 35-45 minutes, or until the top is light golden, the edges are puffed, and the center is still a little jiggly (not soupy). Tent with foil if it is darkening too quickly. Turn off oven and crack the door open. Let the pie sit in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove pie to a rack to cool completely. Chill for at least 2-3 hours before serving.
Buttermilk Pie is best served cold. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.
Leftover pie will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes:
- You may use an equal volume of coconut oil.
- To make this in a regular pie crust, follow the crust-baking (partial blind-baking) instructions here.
Some foods are easier to photograph than others and…well…
That said, what baked oatmeal lacks in aesthetic appeal (dull brown and lumpy 😬😬) it more than makes up in delicious whole grain flavor. This one is especially enticing—it’s made with a hefty scoop of pure pumpkin purée and big hit of pumpkin pie spice for maximum seasonal breakfast magic.
It’s also very easy to make. The most difficult (if you can even call it that) step is toasting the oats, and that requires little to no actual brain power. Just scatter the oats onto a pan, put them in the oven, and set a timer. Boom. Done.
My favorite thing about Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal? It reheats like a dream! This, in addition to being filling and fairly good for you, makes it perfect for weekday breakfasts. Just heat individual portions as needed and enjoy.
Of course, it’s also a great low-maintenance-but-still-“special” thing to make on the weekends. And I wouldn’t be disappointed to see it over the holidays.
I have baked with oats a fair amount over the last few years. 
Oh, I’ve tried. Of course I have. But, prior to this, every oatmeal cookie that has come out of my kitchen has been disappointingly flat in both appearance and flavor, and I’ve had a bit of a complex about it. I mean, is it so wrong to want a thick, chewy cinnamon-scented cookie with toasty oats and raisins with actual flavor and texture???
Enter my dream Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, the results of years of boredom and frustration and some concentrated testing. They take a little longer to prepare than your average oatmeal cookie, but that’s because you’re adding big flavor and texture you just can’t get otherwise.
Y’all! Are those not the most delicious-looking Oatmeal Raisin Cookies you’ve ever seen? Because those are the most delicious-looking Oatmeal Raisin Cookie I’ve ever seen. The best I’ve ever eaten, too–thick, rich and chewy with big hits of molasses and cinnamon, and all those toasty, buttery oats and raisins, of course!
Like I said, they’re the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies of my dreams. (And maybe now your dreams, too.)
Y’all. Y’ALL. Why did I wait so long to make jam squares?
I mean, they’re so…easy. Seven ingredients, one bowl, no mixer—my favorite sort of recipe.
Five minutes for mixing, five more for assembly. Just shy of thirty for them to bake up.
Once they’re cool, they slice like a dream.
You’ll like the crisp cookie layers, chewy oats, and sweet-tart jam centers on day one, but some magic flavor-melding happens in that first 24 hours and they are eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head good on day two. And they just get better from there.
Easy Raspberry Jam Squares are far more than the sum of their parts. I went into testing thinking these might need cinnamon or nuts, but I was wrong—simplicity is key for optimal jam flavor.
And speaking of jam, I went with raspberry because that’s what I like, but feel free to use any preserves you like. I think blueberry sounds particularly good right now, but that may only be because we just booked our 
Like I said, my favorite sort of recipe.
Hello from 
VJ and I got here Saturday afternoon. It was supposed to be us and two more that day, but due to a work snafu, they didn’t join us until yesterday. Thank goodness for our other guest, my sister, 
Since it’s just been the two of us these last few days, meals have been simple. As I’ve mentioned 
While everyone else I know was going to work Monday morning, I made this Blueberry Baked Oatmeal for us. Made with gluten-free old-fashioned oats, rice milk,* and 
This oatmeal is super simple to make. With just a few minutes of prep-work and 40 minutes of bake time, you’ll be rewarded with a rich, cinnamon-spiked oatmeal that is positively bursting with blueberries.
You just need two bowls and a stirring implement to put it together, and you probably have all the ingredients already (with the possible exception of blueberries).
VJ and I prefer our oatmeal on the sweet side, so I used 1/2 cup maple syrup here. If you’d like a less-sweet breakfast, you can reduce it to 1/4 cup.
Feel free to add nuts or seeds (toast them with the oats!), or stir in coconut flakes or mashed banana. Everything we eat on Swan’s Island comes from one pre-ferry grocery trip on the mainland, so meals are paired down and simple. I like this oatmeal as-is with an additional drizzle of maple and a pat of butter, but that’s just me.
As with many of the recipes on this site, this recipe can be made with many variations. Feel free to take my favorite and make it yours.
e2 bakes brooklyn 