Baked Oatmeal

Though I cook (a lot), I rarely share recipes on here. Most of the things I make are naturally gluten-free, so they're just not worth sharing. But this? This is my new favorite find and totally needs to be shared. Two words: baked oatmeal. Wait wait! Stay! Read on - consider the idea. Trust me, so much more exciting than it sounds!

Roasty toasty

I like baked goods - cookies, cakes, muffins, tarts - all of it. Since I also like fitting into my pants, I try to forgo the baked treats as much as possible. (Another thing? In light of the recent news about arsenic in rice, I'm trying to reduce my rice consumption - and most GF flour blends are rice-based.) This baked oatmeal doesn't contain any flour, yet bakes into a solid satisfying oat bar that fulfills my need for a baked treat, but is as healthy as oatmeal (if, like me, you add a little sugar and lots of fruits and nuts to your cooked oats). Frankly, they're good any time of day - easily packed into a baggie for a healthy on-the-go snack.  

Adapted from Whole Foods Apple-Berry Baked Oatmeal: 

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten-free oats (I always use Bob's Red Mill Rolled GF Oats)

1 cup raisins

1 cup thinly sliced apples

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk (any kind)

1/2 cup yogurt (any kind)

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 whole egg + 1 yolk

Preheat oven to 375°F. Oil an 8"x8" or 9" round pan; I just run a pat of butter around the pan. Mix oats, raisins, apples, applesauce, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk together milk, yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla, egg + yolk in another bowl; combine with oat mixture. Pour into buttered pan, bake until firm and browned a bit on top, 45-50 minutes. Serve hot or cold. I much prefer the bars once they've had time to cool in the fridge for a few hours, but they're also pretty tasty warm from the oven, especially with some plain Greek yogurt.