It’s no secret that our mornings are very busy. I have to nurse the baby while the other three kids want breakfast, which means it’s easiest if I have breakfast ready before the kids are even up. I wake up at 5am most days to exercise and get ready, but the few extra minutes of quiet before the day begins are precious. Having a breakfast already ready to go, like muffins or this apple pie baked oatmeal, makes my morning start more smoothly. As a bonus to me, it gives me a few extra minutes of peace before the crazy of the day begins.
This apple pie baked oatmeal is delicous, with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. But it’s also healthy: naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup and a little coconut sugar. It’s vegan, using applesauce as a binder instead of eggs, and has flaxseed meal in it as an extra boost of omega-3’s. Of course, this recipe also uses heart-healthy oats. To get the right texture for this recipe, I used old-fashioned rolled oats that I pulsed in a food processor. This gives me more texture than using oat flour, but the recipe holds together better and has the right texture verses whole rolled oats. You could even let these cool completely and cut them up like granola bars, but for breakfast I like them just a little bit warm.
Served warmed with some chopped apples and an extra drizzle of maple syrup, this is the perfect way to start my day. As a huge bonus, my kids love this apple pie baked oatmeal too, and I know it will keep them full until lunchtime.
- 2½ cups rolled oats
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed meal
- 3 tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup honey or pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 apple, chopped, for topping
- Extra maple syrup, optional, for topping
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8 x 8 or equivalent size round baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the rolled oats in a food processor and pulse until the texture is more fine. You don't want it to be as fine as oat flour, you just want the oats to be a smoother texture. This will only take a few pulses.
- Transfer the oats to a medium-sized bowl and whisk in baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, flaxseed meal, and coconut sugar.
- Add applesauce, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix to combine and transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes until set. Since there are no raw eggs in this, there's no risk of underbaking if you want a softer baked oatmeal!
- Serve topped with chopped apples and a drizzle of maple syrup, if desired. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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