By Tesa

A few years ago I joined a small service team to help out a church in Boston, Massachusetts. The first two day's labor of painting, building, and cleaning left our bodies tired and worn. To say the least, by the time I finally had lunch, my stomach was growling something fierce. One morning when we arrived at breakfast, we were greeted by the sweet aroma of warm vanilla. This heavenly nutty scent filled the entire house. I just knew we were in for something incredible. Not only did this baked oatmeal taste amazing but it kept me full all day. I just had to come home to recreate and adapt it for myself. I present to you...baked oatmeal! It's by far the most delicious and versatile breakfast/brunch dish you'll come across. This is unlike the creamy stovetop oatmeal you're used to. This baked oatmeal is reminiscent of oatmeal cookies. Think of it. Cookies for breakfast. Go ahead. You're a grown up and we won't tell mom. ;-)

Baked Oatmeal

Serves: 8-10 Bake time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups oatmeal (2 cups rolled oats and 1 cup quick oats)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°
Prepare a glass 2.5 quart oval casserole dish (or any other similarly sized glass dish) with cooking spray, butter, or coconut oil. Set aside.
Combine butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large bowl using a hand mixer. Mix until well incorporated.
Add oatmeal, baking soda, salt, and milk to mixture. Using a spoon or rubber scraper, gently fold all ingredients until fully mixed.
Pour oatmeal mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake 35-40 minutes. Turn the baking dish halfway through baking. Your oatmeal is done when the center no longer "jiggly" but firmed. If you find that the edges are becoming more brown before the center is set, you can cover with foil and continue bakking.
Serve baked oatmeal hot in bowls. Many people enjoy their baked oatmeal with a drizzle of pure maple syrup and or milk in their bowls.

Here's where it gets fun!

We have enjoyed having baked oatmeal for breakfast & brunch so much we've created some variations we think you'll love too.

Substitute the half cup butter for vegetable oil or coconut oil.
Prior to baking, sprinkle oatmeal mixture in the casserole dish with sugar and cinnamon.
Add a teaspoon or two of any spice (such as nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, etc) of your choice to the mixture prior to baking.
Add 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup of or combination of chocolate/ white chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruit such as raisins, or craisins.
Substitute granulated sugar with brown sugar. You can even use half brown sugar and half granulated sugar. You can even use a baking sugar substitute such as Swerve.
Substitute vanilla extract for maple extract

Here are some of our favorite flavor combinations:

Craisin, white chocolate chip, & macadamia nut
Peanut butter (Add about a half cup to oatmeal mixture prior to baking) & chocolate chips
Maple brown sugar
Craisin & orange (Add a tablespoon or two of fresh orange zest to the oatmeal mixture prior to baking.). We haven't tried adding chocolate chips to this flavor combinations yet. I think we should!

Be creative and discover your own baked oatmeal adventures.

Cheers, Love, Bon Appetit & Happiness

Baked Oatmeal Recipe