{recipe} baked oatmeal

One of the easiest thing for me to make for breakfast is oatmeal. It’s even easier when it’s prepared ahead of time. I try to make a few dishes on Sundays, I call it my Sunday-prep-time, for us to eat throughout the week. Now that the temps are heating up around here, it is best to turn on the oven once a week and get all the batch cooking done at that time.

Currently, I make 1 breakfast dish, 1 dinner dish and 1 toddler friendly food. I also cut and prep the side veggies so they are ready to be cooked as soon as I come home. I can’t always do this every Sunday because sometimes we are not home. But boy of boy, can I feel the stress throughout the week when I don’t plan ahead of time.

When I saw blackberries were in season (back in March), I bought a big tray and ate them all within a week. Although they were delicious when eaten fresh, I wanted to preserve some of them in this baked oatmeal and freeze it to be enjoyed at a later time.

This recipe is slightly adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson. I also love her blog for recipe inspiration.

I added crystallized ginger this time because I was intrigued in combining the blackberries & ginger together. The key is to chop it very finely so that you can taste the hint of ginger flavors, without biting into a big chunk. Next time I would add unsweetened coconut in the mix.

Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup maple syrup, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Scant 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups blackberries (or any berries of your choice)
very finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional, I added with the dry ingredients)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together the oats, half the walnuts, the baking powder, cinnamon, salt and ginger (optional).

In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, if using, the milk, egg, half of the butter, and the vanilla.

Arrange the bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Scatter the remaining berries and remaining walnuts across the top.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Drizzle the remaining melted butter on the top and serve. Sprinkle with a bit more sugar or drizzle with maple syrup if you want it a bit sweeter