Easy Baked Oatmeal

In a bit of a breakfast rut?

I don’t know if it’s the dark days of winter, or the hectic pace that comes with the early mornings, but I find that I’ve really been lacking inspiration for my morning meal these days. Or I was, until I came across a few inspired recipes for baked oatmeal.

I love hot cereal, in all of its many forms, but I don’t always have the minutes it takes to stand stove-side stirring a pot of grains. That’s why this method of cooking them works perfectly for me, and hopefully it will for you as well.

In the evening, put together the short list of dry ingredients from the recipe. In the morning, whisk the wet ingredients, combine it all together, and let it bake while I wrestle the kids from their rooms. The wafting scent of something warm and sweet emerging from the oven often helps in getting them down the stairs.

The recipe I use makes enough for two mornings, which is even more reason to make it this way. I cook once and eat twice, which is my favourite way to make anything. On the second day, gently warm the cereal in the microwave, or toaster oven, and it will taste just as good as the first day you ate it.

Good to Know:

Baked oatmeal has the consistency of a moist cake rather than what you’d expect from regular oatmeal. To moisten it more, add some milk or cream to the warm oatmeal in each bowl before serving.

Easy Baked Oatmeal Recipe:

You’ll Need

3¼ cups oats (not instant or steel-cut)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup butter

Prep and Cook

1

Combine the oats, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir well.
2

Whisk together the milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla in a small bowl.
3

When you’re ready to bake the oatmeal, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the butter in pie plate and set it in the oven to melt while the oven is warming.
4

Combine the dry and wet ingredients.
When the butter has melted, remove the pie plate from the oven and add the oatmeal mixture, stirring it into the butter.
5

Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve with milk.
6

Apple Cranberry Baked Oatmeal: Add 1 grated apple and ½ cup dried cranberries to the mixture after the wet and dry ingredients have been combined.
7

Pear and Walnut Baked Oatmeal: Add 1 pear, cored and diced, and ½ cup chopped walnuts to the mixture after the wet and dry ingredients have been combined.