Baked Brown-Sugar, Apple & Cranberry Oatmeal

It’s almost like eating a giant oatmeal cookie for breakfast — almost. You guys are going to love this recipe. It’s amazing, and sooo simple — it comes together very quickly. Oatmeal is a great foundation to add damn near anything you want, so you will find that this recipe is very adaptable. You can do whatever you want to it, and I promise it’ll be delicious. Add any combination of fruit you’d like, any nut you’d like (or not), use any kind of sweetener. The options are limitless, and the choice is yours.

If you think oatmeal is supposed to be bland and boring, your mind will be forever changed by this delicious recipe. The flavors here are nuts, I’m not even kidding — everything just works. There’s maple, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla, and cinnamon which make it so warm and comforting, like a hug in a bowl. I highly recommend you grate your own nutmeg for this and every recipe you ever make that requires nutmeg — seriously. The tart apple pieces and cranberries offer a great acidic balance to the sweetness. The salt is necessary here, so don’t skip it. It helps bring out all of the flavors so you can actually taste everything.

If you want to make this recipe healthier, I suggest you reduce or omit the sugar and use coconut oil instead of butter. Other than that, it’s not that bad to indulge in. Have fun with it, because your tummy will thank you.

Everything we’re using today.

Grease a 9-inch or 9×9 baking dish with softened butter or coconut oil.

in a medium bowl, add the almond milk, egg, melted butter, spices, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, and extracts. whisk together until evenly combined. In another bowl, add the oats, cranberries, baking powder and apples. Mix it all together evenly.

Pour the oat/apple mixture into the baking dish.

Pour the almond milk mixture over the oats.

Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top in an even layer.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar on top in an even layer, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Turn on your broiler, and let the brown sugar caramelize for 2-3 minutes.

Voila

I wish you could smell this…

That texture on top is everything. It really balances out the entire dish, as the oatmeal itself is very moist and creamy.

*emoji heart eyes*

one more texture shot.

This is so perfect.

I’m pretty sure this will become a staple in your kitchen. It’s way too easy to make, and far too delicious to deny the human body.

Baked Brown-Sugar, Apple & Cranberry Oatmeal

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• Author: Resha from CarnalDish
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 large (or 2 small) granny smith apple, peeled, cored, cut into a medium dice
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 3 cups vanilla almond milk (see note below)
• 1 large egg
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled (see note below)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided (see note below)
• 1/4 cup organic grade-A maple syrup
• 1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/4 tsp vanilla beans
• 1 tsp cinnamon (the Vietnamese/Saigon variety is great here)
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp maple extract (see note below)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9×9 broiler-safe baking dish with butter (see note below) or non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, add the almond milk, egg, vanilla beans, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, sea salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar (see note below), maple syrup, melted butter (see note below), vanilla and maple extracts. Whisk to combine, making sure the egg is fully incorporated. Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, add the oats, baking powder, dried cranberries, and apple pieces. Mix together thoroughly to combine. Pour oat/apple mixture into your prepared baking dish in an even layer. Pour the almond milk mixture over the oats, making sure it’s evenly covered. Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top and bake on the lower-middle rack for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the dish from the oven after 30 minutes, and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over the top of the oatmeal. Bake an additional 15 minutes, then turn on the broiler to your oven. Allow the brown sugar layer to caramelize slightly for about 2-3 minutes. Please keep an eye on this to make sure the sugar doesn’t brown too much or burn.
6. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. See note below for suggestions on how to serve this. Enjoy!

Notes

You can use regular milk instead of almond milk. I used sweetened vanilla almond milk, but you can use unsweetened. Depending on how sweet you like your oatmeal, you can totally adjust the amount of brown sugar and maple syrup used for this recipe. Either reduce it by half, or omit it. If you don’t have maple extract, use just 1 more teaspoon of vanilla extract. You can use coconut oil instead of butter for the entire dish. Serve with a light splash (1 tablespoon) of almond milk and/or a very light drizzle (1/2 teaspoon) maple syrup at the very end. If you’re feeling naughty, it would be awesome with a small scoop of gelato. This reheats well in the microwave, but do not overcook it because the texture will become gummy.

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

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