While I’m super excited that the weather is such that I can actually start playing tennis outside (yay!), I have to shamefully admit that I’m still dreaming of a white New Hampshire. I KNOW that snow sucks when it happens in April and I know that I’m slightly crazy for thinking these sorts of thoughts, but I just loved it so much that a teeny tiny part of me wishes I was still there rather than tucked into my Michigan reality (though, Crawley helps a lot). These maple pecan overnight oats help a little bit as I face that reality.
The good thing about the warmer weather is that many cold weather foods transition well with the seasons. And while I had often associated maple with fall and pumpkins and apples and all of those cold weather, warm feeling things, the pros that are in the know (and luckily reside in certain parts of the country) will tell us all that maple syrup and the time honored traditions that have been passed through generations that create it, are actually meant to be celebrated each spring.
Those freeze-thaw weather conditions that we all hate (hate, so much) this time of the year are actually nature’s way of giving those maple magicians the raw ingredients to make the syrup. The sap starts flowing as temperatures rise, and it’s time for them to get to work.
I tried many a maple dish when I was out there; sweet, savory and alcoholic and each was different in their own but equally delicious way and it got me wanting to use nature’s sugar in all sorts of different ways. I’m starting with this one.
Tucked into the White Mountains, Polly’s Pancake Parlor has been serving short and tall stacks since 1938, highlighting the best the season has to offer all year round. This recipe for maple pecan overnight oats incorporates ‘Hurricane Sauce,’ a brilliant creation from one of Polly’s loyal customers, Mrs. Murray S. Danforth, and the whole package creates that stick-to-your-ribs breakfast still necessary until winter truly makes its exit. The overnight oats, rather than regular steamy oatmeal, means that you can take this to the bank all the way through summer until we’re craving warmth once again.
But hopefully we don’t get back here too soon.
Maple Pecan Overnight Oats
New Hampshire maple syrup and apples serve as the sweet flavorings for these maple pecan overnight oats, which get added protein from Greek yogurt.
Ingredients
- For the Hurricane Sauce:
- 1 cups real maple syrup
- 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, sliced very thinly (about 1 cup)
- 1 1/2 TB unsalted butter
- For the oatmeal:
- 1 1/3 cup uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal
- 1 1/3 cup cold water
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup Hurricane sauce, plus more for topping
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, plus more for topping
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Directions
- Step 1 Make the Hurricane Sauce:
- Step 2 Simmer syrup and butter together. Add the apples and cook very gently as to not break up the apple slices. Cook slowly over 1 1/2 hours until apples are transparent and the liquid is more syrupy than juicy. Let cool slightly.
- Step 3 Make the oatmeal:
- Step 4 Place everything in a large bowl and stir it thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Step 5 Put it in the fridge over night. Serve with extra sauce and nuts as you wish.
