A Good Day for Baked Oatmeal!

Originally posted October 2006 and 2011

Yesterday Buster had an early morning appointment with a sports medicine guy; afterwards I took him out to breakfast. We went to a little local restaurant that is always mobbed for breakfast and lunch, and I didn’t look closely at the menu but saw “baked oatmeal” which I ordered believing it would be a basic bowl of oatmeal, only baked for some reason.

Came to the table a steaming bowl of something slightly crusty on top, moist below, served with hot milk on the side. It smelled heavenly, and I took a spoonful and thought, “dear Lord…this is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted…” It was oatmeal, but it had apples and cranberries and walnuts in it, and brown sugar and raisins and cinnamon…and I took another taste and said to Buster, “this is like eating Christmas! It’s just unreal!”

Buster helped himself to some of it…then some more of it. Eventually he ate half of it. Incredible. I had to come home and immediately search for the recipe. Found one site with great pictures and what seems to be a very near recipe.

You assemble this thing the night before and then throw it into the oven in the morning for 40 minutes…sounds ideal for a lazy Sunday morning, or Christmas morning…all I know is it was absurdly yummy (and oddly comforting) and I can’t wait to have it again!

This seems to be the standard recipe from what I can glean online:
Ingredients:
* 3 cups rolled oats
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup milk
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup melted butter
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat in milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir in dried cranberries. Spread into a 9×13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

I would definitely add apple slices and raisins to it. Oh, yes. And walnuts, too. I suspect you could add all sorts of great things to this dish.
Buster suggests this could also be a simple supper on a chilly night. Yes. And with some vanilla ice cream on top of it, it could even be dessert. Excuse me, now, while I go drool over the idea of baked oatmeal with vanilla ice cream…