Baked Apple Spice Oatmeal

Oct 9, 2011

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There’s just something filling and wholesome about oatmeal. Especially baked oatmeal when I realize that it’s near freezing outside already, and there is a distinct layer of frost on my car. It’s beginning to get a lot colder here on the East Coast, especially at night. These types of breakfasts are definitely worth waking up to.

Since it’s still apple season around here, I picked up a bag of apples from the market and decided to try them in this easy-to-whip-up baked oatmeal. The baking time was the longest part of the whole process, but it gave me enough time to make some coffee, catch up on reading, and enjoy the cold, fall morning-which was especially awesome when the smells of cinnamon and apples were wafting throughout my entire apartment. This oatmeal actually reheats very well-I simply added a bit of milk to it when I heated it up again in the microwave during the following days. The other nice thing about this recipe is that you can add in more healthy things like flax seed, other fruits (blueberries would be amazing), or other spices. I added in some dried cranberries I had picked up which added a little bit of sweetness to the oatmeal and topped it with fresh apple slices for a bit of added texture and crunch.

Baked Apple Spice Oatmeal

Servings: approximately 6

Ingredients

4 cups milk

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups peeled and chopped apples (variety of your choice), plus slices for garnish

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup dried cranberries, plus more for garnish

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, brown sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon.

3. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted and the mixture is well combined.

4. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until mixed.

5. Lightly spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

6. Pour the oatmeal into the casserole dish, cover, and bake, about 45 minutes or so.

7. Top with fresh apple slices and dried cranberries.

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home.

8 Comments

Annie @ Annie's Cooking Lab • Oct 9, 2011 @10:03 am

That looks delicious! I have oatmeal for breakfast nearly every morning, but it starts to get boring after a while. This looks like a great way to change things up!
Denise @ TLT • Oct 9, 2011 @3:46 pm

I used to make a similar dish and always loved it, don’t know why it’s such a long time ago I had it. I think this will be my breakfast tomorrow:)
Cyndeehule • Oct 9, 2011 @11:52 pm

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Kalysta • Oct 11, 2011 @8:48 am

This is amazing! I made it this morning, and I couldn’t be happier. Its just a lovely fall treat for a chilly morning like today. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks so much for sharing!
Patty • Oct 11, 2011 @1:11 pm

That looks delicious! I love baked oatmeal! We just had some this morning (these days I’ve been making a sourdough baked oatmeal – where the batter sits out, ready to go, in the pan overnight) with spice, dried fruit and chocolate chips.
Nicole @ Half-buzzed hostess • Oct 11, 2011 @8:14 pm

Love this! Such a great dish to serve at breakfast to a group. I usually end up making egg stratas or french toast casseroles, but this is so much healthier–and just as delish!
marla • Oct 18, 2011 @11:10 pm

Love this recipe & will be linking back in my next post
Rachel - A Cup of Flour • Oct 25, 2011 @1:39 am

Baked oatmeal! As an oatmeal lover I can’t believe I’ve never thought of this!

This past summer, I couldn’t stand the thought of eating hot oatmeal (way to hot), so I started making overnight soaked cold oatmeal (milk, plain yogurt, and oatmeal refrigerated overnight. It makes the oatmeal soft, creamy, and delicious).

This is like the perfect winter counterpart to that! I bet it would also be great with pumpkin in it!
This may just end up being tomorrow’s breakfast!