Baked oats – aka just a name for a dish that makes it sound reasonable to have oats for breakfast. And really, it is one of the best things ever. If you have never had it before and are wondering what it tastes like – kind of like oatmeal flavor-wise, but kind of goey and soft like a muffin texture-wise. Plus, those nice and soft cinnamony apples in the middle. So basically, like a mix of apple pie, oatmeal and muffin. Who would not want this?
Since I am not the biggest oatmeal fan I actually have never tried making this when it became a trend. And then one of you asked me whether I could create a recipe for a baked oatmeal. This pushed me out of my comfort zone, and leaving it was a great decision because this recipe turned out! So, also if you are not a huge oatmeal lover but you do like apple pie or muffins, you should still give this recipe a shot!
What’s special about this recipe?
It is not regular oatmeal and it´s not a regular muffin. It is way easier than a muffin and way more special than an oatmeal. Plus, you really only need one bowl to make this, which makes it a great dish for all those who want to avoid washing the dishes! Plus, you only need an oven and no stove, no constant stirring. You can just pop this into the oven, sit back and enjoy it half an hour later.
Is this dish healthy?
Yep, yep, yep! Let’s start with the oats! Oats are a real superfood actually. Loaded with carbs, fibre, protein and antioxidants. They keep you full for hours, give you energy and a bunch of protein to kick-start your day. Oats really are one of the best things you could have in the morning! Then we also use a bit of coconut sugar to sweeten the apples, which does still contain sugar, but also comes with other nutrients and fiber.
What else do we have in here?
Banana. The banana works as a natural sweetener in this recipe, and also adds even more fiber and vitamins to the dish. Besides, we have the apples, more fruits, so more fiber and vitamins, some plant-based milk, an egg for extra protein, and a bunch of cinnamon and cardamon. If you want to find out more about why cinnamon is so healthy, you can check out my December favorites! And last, which is optional but should not be left out, are the nuts! In here I would recommend using hazelnuts or walnuts, both are great sources of healthy fats and protein! So, all in all, really healthy!
How to make this dish?
As already mentioned, this is super simple. We start by chopping up our apple into small cubes. These are then tossed with some cinnamon, cardamon, oil & coconut sugar and pre-baked in the oven. This pre-baking makes them softer, enhances the flavor, and also gives us time to prepare the rest in the meantime!
Then we only need to combine the rest. For this we need to mash a banana, combine it with the egg, plant-based milk, spices, oats, salt & nuts. This can easily be combined in a bowl. If you want to have it really muffin-like you could also blend it with a blender, so you really have a smooth, cakey dough without chunks. If we are just mixing it in a bowl, it has more of an oatmeal vibe. This we can now add to the baked apple and give it a mix and then we’ll bake it for 35-40 minutes until it is crispy on the top.
When and how to best have it:
When I think is pretty irrelevant. It works great as a breakfast, a dessert, a snack, a breakfast for dinner kind of situation, just for whenever you want it. How to best have it depends a little on when you have it. I loveee it with some yoghurt and nut butter (like almond butter) or also some ice cream and whipped cream when having it as a dessert. You could even serve it with some more (sautéed or fresh) apple or banana if that’s what you want!
Also, very important; this dish works great for meal prep! So you can make it on a Sunday or in the beginning of a week and let it chill in the fridge. Whenever you then want to have it, you can just pop it into the oven for 10 minutes until it is warm and crispy again!
1 Bowl Apple Pie Baked Oats
Like porridge just better. Imagine this as a crossover of apple pie, porridge and muffins but as a breakfast version. Really. really good and really, really easy! A must try!
What you will need
- 1 apple
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- a pinch nutmeg
- 1 tsp oil
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- a pinch salt
For the oats:
- 1 banana (the browner the better)
- 1 egg
- 100 g oats
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp honey (optional)
- 75 g (plant based) milk
- 1 tbsp nuts of choice (walnuts, hazelnuts,…)
For the toppings:
- shredded almonds
- coconut sugar
How to
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Preheat the oven to 180°C.
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Remove the core and cut the apple into 1cm sized pieces. Toss them with the cinnamon, cardamon, salt, oil and coconut sugar. Bake them in an oven safe dish for 10 minutes.
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In the meantime you can mash the banana till it's creamy, combine it with the rolled oats, egg, cinnamon, plant based milk, nuts and honey. If you want the baked oats to be really muffin-like, you could also blend this dough until it has no chunks left. If you do not blend it, it will me more like a porridge consistency.
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Once the apples are done, we can mix them into the remaining batter. Then we can pour it into oven safe bowls of any other oven safe dish and top it with the almonds and coconut sugar. Bake them for 30-35 minutes at 180°C until crispy and golden and enjoy!
I genuinely hope that you will enjoy this recipe as much as we do and that you’ll have a lot of fun making it!
Enjoy,
Love,
Katie
