Pumpkin bites! Nibbles of pumpkin love! Little sweets of morning joy!
I wish I could say I wasn’t this shallow, but the prospect of eating about 50 of these little guys is single-handedly what got me out of bed this morning. That, and the fact that I would get to tell you about them.
Pumpkin Bites with Maple Glaze. Definition: tiny two-bite nuggets of pumpkin, oats, and maple syrup baked into a cross between a pumpkin cookie (which, for the record, I have never liked, so if you are hesitant – be encouraged) and a pumpkin scone (which, for the record, I LOVE) and a pumpkin muffin (obsessed).
They’re not as flat as pumpkin cookies, and they’re probably a bit more dense than a fluffy muffin. This makes them some kind of magic cookie-scone-muffin mashup that provides a perfect soft-baked dipper for your morning coffee. And then if you would happen to be some kind of weirdo who STILL isn’t convinced, they are drizzled with my all-time favorite maple glaze. So… do I even need to keep talking?
True fact -> you are one of two kinds of people:
- The person who gets up at the first ringing – or even BEFORE the first ringing – of the alarm clock 🏆
- The person who hits the snooze button 80 million times before eventually just abandoning the Time To Wake Up concept entirely and, as a result, rushing through the morning with what never ever seems to be enough coffee, all the while dreaming of the moment when work is done and you can return to bed 😑
Not that it’s obvious which one I am or anything.
The change in seasons means a lot of things for us here in the blogger’s paradise of Minnesota – like summer grill out and taco nights have turned into fall chili and cornbread nights eaten around the fire with pumpkin dessert plz! and runs around the lake have gone from a have-to to a must-do because of those deliciously sunny + cool temps and the Instagram potential with the colorful trees around every corner, and of course, the people of the internet (self included) are starting their slow return back to regular cooking which means good things for the blog.
Fall energy is all around! We have a lot of love love love for the change of seasons. But there’s one thing about fall that is alllll the thumbs down.
It’s seriously HARD to wake up in the morning.
You look outside and it’s still dark. You take the dog out and it’s just the tiniest bit cold – no more barefooted walking in the yard, my friend. Your coziest sweatshirt + the still-warm fluffy bed becomes THE ONLY THING that you could ever want in your whole life.
If you’re a type two person 🙋 and you also happen to be a blogger who can set their own hours 🙋, this spells major danger.
But if fall means eating more of dis stuff, I mean… just… GIMME.
It’s been a long time since I went to bed excited about what I would eat in the morning for breakfast, but last night, I had that feeling. There was a batch of these freshly-baked and just waiting for morning, so last night I wrapped them up, set them aside, and set my alarm for the earliest possible time that I could manage in order to feed my face with these loves.
Soft-baked, pumpkiny, stuffed with mini chocolate chips, and drizzled with maple glaze – that’s how all my fall mornings are going to start this year.
You and me and the whole world = these pumpkin bites = tomorrow morning. Saturday brunch date. ☕️☕️
Pumpkin Bites with Maple Glaze
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 25–30 pumpkin bites 1x
Description
Pumpkin Bites with Maple Glaze are a MUST for pumpkin lovers! made with easy ingredients like oats, pumpkin, maple syrup, and olive oil.
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Bites
- 1 1/4 cup oat flour (see notes)
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (more for topping)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
For the Glaze
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Batter: In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, whisk the vanilla, pumpkin, egg, maple syrup, and olive oil. Add the wet ingredients to the larger bowl with the dry ingredients – stir until just combined. Add the mini chocolate chips and stir just a few times to distribute them throughout the batter.
- Baking: Scoop small amounts of the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a round cookie scoop will help you get the nicest shape to your pumpkin bites. Sprinkle the tops with a little more turbinado sugar and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Glaze: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar – it will clump together. Add the maple syrup and milk to smooth it out again, whisking to break apart the sugar clumps. Add additional water or milk in very small amounts to achieve desired consistency. When the glaze is smooth and runny, top each pumpkin bite with a drizzle. The glaze should set almost immediately.
Notes
I’m not the kind of person who keeps oat flour on hand, so I just measured several cups of rolled oats into my blender and turned it on for about 20-30 seconds, stopping to stir or shake it around to ensure everything was getting evenly ground up. Then I measured out the amount of oat flour needed for this recipe and stored the rest in an airtight container.
How finely you grind your flour will make a difference in how the batter holds together, so I find it best to go by feel more than exact measurements here. The batter should not spread at all when you scoop it – it should hold the shape of a ball. If it doesn’t, go back and add a little more flour or oat flour until it is sturdy enough to hold. I made this three times, and every time I’d be using somewhere between 1 1/4 cup and 1 1/2 cups of oat flour.
Nutrition information is for ONE bite out of a total of 28, including glaze (that’s exactly how many I got in this batch).
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pumpkin dessert, pumpkin bites, maple glaze recipe
Here’s a link to the little cookie scooper that I have – $12 on Amazon and a 4.5 rating from 300 reviews. I also have one that is a little bigger than this that works well for this recipe, too.
👆This is an affiliate link.
I have made these many times over the years. Today I needed them to be gluten free so I used bobs red mill gluten free flour. I had to add a bit more of the oat flour but the end result is really good for a gluten free option. I also kept the oats a little coarse for texture. I am not sure my kids can tell the difference and their gluten free friend thought they were fabulous!
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Absolute perfection! I used Demerara sugar because I couldn’t find turbinado here in Australia, fresh puréed pumpkin (pumpkin in a can is not a thing here 😜) and I substituted the chocolate for dates! Everyone loved them…will have to make a double batch next time!
These look so good and since they’re small, that means I can eat more than one, right?!! Yum!
That’s the point! 😉
Made these for my book group last night. They were a hit. Love the way you made them look extra cute with the drizzle. (Even though I drizzled liberally, I had alot left over, so I would probably just half that next time.)
Also, next time (and there will be a next time 🙂 I will substitute pumpkin spice for the cinnamon to pump up the pumpkin flavor a bit.
I ended up adding 2 extra tablespoons of oat flour to get the consistency you described.
I used my small cookie scoop and I got 34 bites out of the batter, which when you think about it makes them so small they are pretty much calorie-free!
I did add the chocolate chips which for me are never optional.
Thanks for the great new recipe!
Awesome feedback, Carol! Thanks!
I really liked the texture, unfortunately mine didn’t taste that much like pumpkin – possibly because my cinnamon was a bit stale! Also, did you use real maple syrup or something like Aunt Jemima? (just trying to reduce my costs before I make them again!)
Hi, Laura! We prefer to use “real” maple syrup, but Lindsay also loves using “Wholesome!” brand products which are cheaper and can be found at Target. 🙂
What a great looking fall treat! Must try….I think my kids will be happy trying them out too. Thanks!
Hope you like them, Katia! 🙂
I cannot wait to try these! Pumpkin scone–love, cookie–love, muffin–love…so these will be perfect! Lovely idea and the maple glaze will really set it off.
Great! Hope you like them Lucy! 🙂
I’m super excited for all the yummy fall flavors! Getting out of bed in the morning is never pleasant!
My kiddos and I absolutely love anything pumpkin at anytime of the year especially when combined with chocolate;) This is definitely being pinned to my “recipes to make” board!
Enjoy, Adrian! 🙂
Lindsay, these look heavenly! I love the maple + pumpkin combo and obviously am not turning down anything pumpkin-related now that we’re heading into fall. Filing this one under “make a double batch”!
Absolutely! Hope you like them, Angela!
Pumpkin season is back and this is a fantastic idea!! I’m so tempted and excited to try these!
Thanks Mary Frances! Hope you like them!
These are adorable! What a great way to celebrate the beginning of pumpkin season (er… I mean, autumn…). Pinning these for the many cold mornings to come!
Let’s be honest, it’s all about the pumpkin. 😉
These are just what I need to get into the mood for Fall! Such lovely little bites!
thanks Tori! 🙂
I haven’t given in to pumpkin temptation since it’s still miserably warm outside here in Texas. However, today it feels like the fall, and I want all the pumpkin things. First item on my list? These beauts.
Hope you like them Erin!
Hi Lindsay,
Can regular cane sugar be swapped for the turbinado sugar?
Sure! The sugar on top wouldn’t get the same crunchiness but it would work just fine to use that in the recipe. I actually made it with and without the sugar and both worked.
I logged in to ask the same question…regular cane sugar or brown sugar? Maybe in smaller measurements? These sound amazing!
I logged in for the very same question…swap regular cane sugar or brown sugar? Perhaps a smaller quantity? These sound wonderful!
You had me at “pumpkin bites.” Definitely going to try these when the sugar pie pumpkins finally hit the produce aisle. I doubt these little morsels would last till breakfast!
Sugar pie pumpkins? Must research
Yummy. Made these after I received the email. I had to add more oat flour. Didn’t grind the oats the second time as much as the first time – more coarse and more textural. My husband loved them and I will make them again. This is perfect for the flavor of autumn that I crave.
Thanks Lynn! Bjork loved them too – I think he ate at least five warm out of the oven 🙂
I happened to have some pumpkin on hand to mix in to brownies today , but I am turning this bus around and heading straight to Pumpkin Bites Town!! Perfect with a PSL too I bet!
YES! The perfect match.
i need to eat this… NOW! soooo good
Thanks Erin! 🙂 Hope you like!
Totally obsessed with these, oh my goodness. And your photos *swoon* <3
Thanks Ashley!
I LOVE pumpkin treats! Can’t wait to try these.
Hope you like them Charity!
These look perfect! Perfect bite size 🙂
mini = cuter 🙂
Incredible. Delicious. Oh my lanta I need these so much right now!! And maybe if I bake them, the weather in phoenix will finally be convinced that 105 degrees is NOT acceptable for fall-time? 🙂 Pinned!
Come ON Phoenix!
Yeah, so these look amazing! Love that you describe them as a cookie-muffin-scone mash up. Sounds perfect!
It’s really all in one. 🙂 One stop shop!