I get it.
Right now, you probably want to either
A) Give me a big ole bear hug and maybe a semi-sloppy smooch on the cheek, or
B) Promptly slap my face off
Because pumpkin spice is apparently such a polarizing topic these days.
So if you for real hate the stuff with a passion, skip along through those crunchy deciduous leaves.
But.
There’s a decent chance that you’ll actually enjoy these cozy, fall oats.
Because who’d happily turn down a maple cream cheese swirl?
You’re pretty much having cream cheese frosting for breakfast people.
And I am definitely down with that concept.
The oatmeal itself is comprised of quick cooking oats (because I’m lazy and regular rolled oats take a longgg time), ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, canned pumpkin, pure vanilla extract, real deal maple syrup, unsweetened original almond milk, nutty toasted walnuts + a pinch of salt.
Now whip up your vegan maple cream cheese–vegan cream cheese (duh), more real deal maple syrup (of course), vanilla, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves–artfully swirl it into your steaming bowl of flavorful oats, then sprinkle some more toasty walnuts right on top, along with toasted unsweetened coconut flakes if you really want to get this pumpkin spice party started bright and early.
I mean, this could totally count as dinner too…
P.S. Not a vegan or a lactose intolerant individual? Go ahead and use actual cream cheese for your swirl gurl.
P.P.S. Yes. You must always toast your nuts. No questions asked.
P.P.P.S. Some banana slices would be a nice topping addition. Just sayin’.
P.P.P.P.S. So I know the ingredients list resembles a short novel, but most of the ingredients get used twice (for the oats themselves and for the cream cheese swirl) so get those undies of yours out of a bunch.