Vanilla Berry Baked Oatmeal

What a cool way to get your oats - almost in a cake form! You can make this recipe and enjoy it all week. Cut into squares, it's a fast breakfast you can grab and go, microwaved or not. The kids loved it and everyone drooled at the vanilla-y, toasty scent while it baked. We made a thinner product, using a cookie sheet for quicker cooking, but it should take 25 minutes or more in a square baking dish.

50 min

about 6

Breakfast

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ground flax meal (found at Trader Joe’s & other stores)
3 tablespoons warm water
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick)
1/2 cup ground almond meal (if desired – allergy alert)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 1/4 cups almond or soy milk
1 tablespoon canola oil or melted coconut oil
1 1/2 cups fresh mixed berries, or raspberries (can also used chopped apple)
1/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish. Mix the flax meal and water together in a small bowl, and allow them to thicken for a few minutes. (This serves as an egg substitute with a nice nutty flavor.)
In a large mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, baking powder, salt, and spices.
In a second medium mixing bowl, combine the flax and water mixture, the maple syrup, almond milk, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the oat mixture and combine. Fold in the berries.
Turn the mixture into the baking dish. Top with additional berries or chopped fruit, if desired. Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the nuts and brown sugar over the top and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the oats are spongy but solid. Cool.
Serve warm or cold. Drizzle with more milk, jam, maple syrup or even cashew butter if desired. Delicious!

More Information

This recipe is based on one by Gena Hamshaw that I found online when I was looking for a baked oat recipe.

Subscribe to the newsletter!

You’ll get periodic updates with recipes, Q&A’s with chefs and kid food experts, observations, quizzes and simple activities for your kids — i.e., a fun farmer’s market treasure hunt. Don’t worry – we won’t bombard you with mail or ads.