Chai Pear Baked-Oatmeal Crunch Squares

Ingredients

Oatmeal

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, for dish
• 2 cups (180 g) rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1¾ cups whole milk
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 firm ripe pears, cored and diced small

Crunch and yogurt

• ¼ cup (23 g) rolled oats
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup, for yogurt

Equipment

8-inch square baking dish, mixing bowls, thermometer

Allergens and ingredient notes: Milk, egg, sesame; use certified gluten-free oats if needed.

Step by step

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter the 8-inch dish with its greasing butter. Mix oatmeal oats, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and salt.
2. Whisk eggs, milk, oatmeal maple syrup, cooled oatmeal butter and vanilla until smooth. Fold into dry ingredients with diced pears. Pour into the dish and distribute pears evenly.
3. Mix topping oats, sesame, topping maple syrup and topping butter. Scatter loosely over oatmeal. Bake 40–50 minutes until center no longer sloshes, oats are tender and egg mixture reaches 160°F (71°C). Tent loosely with foil if topping browns before center sets.
4. Rest 15 minutes before cutting into six squares. Mix Greek yogurt with its separate maple syrup and serve a spoonful beside each portion. These are moist baked-oat squares rather than crisp granola bars.

The Devotti twist: Chai spices season the whole oat bake, while a separate sesame-oat lid stays crisp against the pear-soft center.

Make ahead and storage

Refrigerate baked oats and yogurt separately within 2 hours. Use within 3 days. Reheat squares to 165°F (74°C), then add cold yogurt.