Seriously Good Baked Oatmeal

Name courtesy of my 6 year old daughter. That is to say, the kids LOVE this. (They are regular oatmeal lovers, too, though. So their perspective skews that way.) 

You could turn this gluten-free fairly easily, by using gluten-free rolled oats (we like Bob's Red Mill) and either omitting or replacing with a GF flour the 2 TB in the topping. It could even go dairy-free by replacing the milk with soy or almond milk, the yogurt with mashed banana and the butter with vegetable oil. I've made it that way before, and it is not drastically different. Either way, I've got full and happy kids and a kitchen that smells great! 

PLUS... and here is the real advantage to baked oatmeal on a Sunday... You can refrigerate individual leftover portions, then dish them out as breakfast on busy weekday mornings. Bonus, right? Put a piece in a bowl,  pour some milk on top and microwave for 30 sec. or so, then dress with your favorite toppings.

Ingredients

1/4 c. light brown sugar

2 TB flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

2 TB cold unsalted butter

1/2 c. chopped pecans

3 c. old fashioned rolled oats

2 tsp. baking powder

2 TB granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 c. dried cherries

1/2 c. applesauce

1/2 c. yogurt

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. melted unsalted butter

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Optional toppings:

dried cherries

warm milk

sliced almonds (toast them if you're an over-achiever!)

warm applesauce

Grease an 8x8 baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine first four ingredients. "Cut" in the cold butter, until mixture resembles course crumbs, then toss in pecans. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine oats, baking powder, granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, kosher salt and dried cherries. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together until well combined. Pour over oat mixture and stir to combine. Pour into greased 8x8 and top with the brown sugar/pecan mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick comes out mostly clean. Cool on rack for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve coffee cake style on a plate, OR serve in a bowl, topped with warm milk, extra dried cherries and sliced almonds (my fave).

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