Oatmeal: Apple Cinnamon Baked

Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal is a comforting breakfast bursting with tender apples, plump raisins spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve topped with a little extra brown sugar and milk! Serves 2 to 4.

When Fall arrives in Michigan, we head to the cider mills.

There’s nothing like apple picking, snacking on freshly made cinnamon-sugar doughnuts while watching apples being pressed for apple cider – all while dodging bees.

Besides the long-used apple pies and crisps, oatmeal is my next regular comfort food to bake apples in. With so many different ways for one to make oatmeal, I’m starting to think baked is the go-to. It comes out of the oven all light and fluffy and the apples are perfectly baked! Not to mention your home fills up with the smell of apples and cinnamon.

This method is crazy unfussy to prepare, simply combine, bake and breakfast will be served in 30 minutes or less!

For this Baked Apple Oatmeal Gather:

• old fashioned rolled oats – Use old fashioned rolled oats and not short or instant oats.
• unsweetened applesauce – Lends flavor, moisture and natural sweetness.
• golden raisins – Adds satisfying texture and pockets of sweetness.
• dark brown sugar – Lends caramel notes and sweetness.
• egg – Helps bind everything together. If allergic, swap for 1 tablespoon ground flax seed.
• pure vanilla extract – Adds warmth and enhances the other flavors in this method.
• cinnamon (ground) – Lends distinct warm and woodsy flavor.
• freshly grated nutmeg – Warm, aromatic with subtle hints of clove.
• fine salt – Use sea salt or pink himalayan.
• apple – Use apples like cortland, honeycrisp, cosmic crisp, jonathan or rome.
• milk – Use whatever you have on hand (cow’s milk, soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk or cashew milk). Any of these will work.
• melted butter – Lends richness and flavor.

Preheat your oven to 350° and lightly grease a oven-safe baking dish. (I sprayed mine with ghee oil spray but butter would also work.)

In a large mixing bowl, measure and add 1-1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/4 cup golden raisins, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt.

Next, pour in 1-1/2 cups milk.

Add in 2 cups finely diced apples.

Stir and pour in 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Transfer this mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven to bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove and let cool 5 minutes or so.

Serve it up! I like mine with a little extra brown sugar and an extra drizzle of milk. Tender apples, cinnamon spiced with plump juicy raisins… basically fall in a bowl.

• Pair with something savory like crispy bacon or sausage links.
• Serve with fresh fruit or a fruit salad.
• A great addition to a brunch spread with this tater tot casserole or frittatas!
• If serving for brunch, consider having it with coffee and/or mimosas.

Enjoy! And if you give this Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!