Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Goodness of Baked Oatmeal

Years ago I came across a recipe for baked oatmeal in an Amish cookbook. In the original recipe, sliced apples were layered on the bottom of the pan over melted butter and brown sugar sprinkled on top before spreading out the oatmeal batter. It created this giant oatmeal cookie but with a wonderful gooey apple bottom. LOVED it!

Than came the sad day when I got up to make this for breakfast and there were no apples in the house! *gasp* Forgetting the breakfast plan we'd munched down on all the apples with popcorn the night before.

So what's a cook to do? Improvise of course. The sad truth was we had no fruit of any kind in the house. BUT we did have chocolate chips.

A new and grander tradition was born! If I even thought of making it any other way after that, there was a mutiny. So I present The Goodness of Baked Oatmeal that is like a Giant Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie. Yet another vehicle for the chocolate that is my friend :-)

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter (or substitute oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips. In a smaller bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Mix wet and dry ingredients together just until blended. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish that you've sprayed lightly with oil.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

I always served this with a pitcher of warm milk to pour over the oatmeal. Some of us like a lot of milk, others not so much. There is no right or wrong way to serve it. Let everyone doctor it up as they like.

And for the goodness of others offered on Saturday Stirrings, go check it out at I Throw Like A Girl.

While this is in no danger of becoming a recipe blog (or a quilt blog or any other kind of specialty blog), I've participated in two recipe exchanges this week 'cause I felt like it. Nothing more complicated or devious than that. I tend to get in a rut with my menu planning and cooking, and these exchanges shake it up a bit and motivate me to try something new. And we can all use a bit of that sometimes.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow- this sounds awesome. I came over from "I Throw Like A girl". Nice to meet you! I'll be back!

riTa Koch said...

That recipe from you has become a favorite when we have overnight guests and I always serve it Christmas morning along with an egg casserole.
And we're having guests tonight! "Curly Steve", little Leah called him, he was one of the young guys on the team when we were Bible smugglers. Now he is Dr. S Ybarrola, professor at Asbury, and has less hair. He has focused on the Basque people, his ancestry, and will be speaking at our church as background to starting a ministry outreach to that people group.
I had better get busy--got to clean house, make desserts, and baked otmeal!

AhsMom said...

Wow! That sound delicious.

Sharon said...

Aunt Kim, I am trying your version the first chance I get.

Farrah said...

I'm sold!! And if chocolate is your friend, you must come see my recipe this week! It might be your bestest, best friend!! :-)

Willys and Elizabeth (Lizzie) said...

This sounds delicious and I am always looking for ways to make outmeal :-) Mike would really like the chocolate but I may also try to make it with apples once.
BTW - The wallet arrived a few days ago. I am in Vegas but Mike said it came in the mail so it is waiting for me when I get home.
Thanks again!