This Baked Oatmeal is our favorite! It's super chewy, soft, rich, and a little custardy with a slightly crisp topping. This oatmeal is loaded with fresh fruit and made with natural good-for-you ingredients.
PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper or lightly grease with nonstick spray.
BATTER: Add the milk, egg, egg yolk (discard the whites or save for another recipe), maple syrup, vanilla extract, and coconut oil (measure when melted) or melted butter to a large bowl. Use a whisk to mix until smooth. Add in the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
BERRIES: If using all blueberries, gently stir them into the batter. If using raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries, cut down to the size of blueberries. Add in cut fruit and gently mix into the batter. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of batter from the bowl into the prepared pan. Using the back of the spatula, smooth everything in one even layer. If desired, sprinkle coarse sugar, turbinado sugar, or brown sugar evenly on top. Bake promptly-- otherwise the oats will absorb the liquid and affect the end texture. (Don't make the batter ahead of time.) Bake for 28-35 minutes or until set and lightly golden on top. (The longer in the oven, the firmer the oatmeal is; remove sooner for softer baked oatmeal.)
ENJOY: Let cool slightly, cut, serve, and enjoy! We like it best pretty warm/fresh out of the oven, but it can also be eaten chilled or at room temperature. Baked oatmeal is pretty crumbly right out of the oven and firms up as it chills. Cut and serve in bowls. If desired, pour a drizzle of milk or even coffee creamer and maple syrup over the bars -- so good! Add any leftover berries on top if desired.
STORAGE: Once it has cooled completely, transfer leftover Baked Oatmealto an airtight container and store iiti n the fridge. Enjoy leftovers for up to 4 days after being made. Cut out individual portions, add to a bowl, and microwave. Add some creaminess back in with a drizzle of milk, coffee creamer, or extra maple syrup.
Notes
Note 1: Milk: Any type of milk works, but we prefer plant-based milk (unsweetened vanilla almond milk) in this recipe to keep it on the lighter side. For a richer and more custard-like oatmeal, use whole milk or 2% milk.Note 2: Maple Syrup: Not to be confused with corn syrup or pancake syrup, pure maple syrup is just one ingredient and is a great naturalsweetener! These bars are pretty sweet, so feel free to reduce the maple syrup if you'd like less sweet bars (you can always drizzle more maple syrup over baked bars if you want them to be sweeter).Note 3: Oats: Quick oats and steel-cut oats won't work properly in this recipe. Note 4: Fruit: Use whatever berry (or combination of berries) you like best. These are great with 1 berry and great with a combo of 3-4! Only use fresh berries, though. Frozen berries affect the texture and make the baked oats watery and less flavorful.Make this Baked Oatmeal your own! If you prefer slightly softer oats, bake for a little less time and serve in bowls topped with a splash of milk or coffee creamer. For firmer baked oats, bake slightly longer and let stand out of the oven for 5-10 minutes before serving. (The longer these bars cool, the cleaner they cut out.) If you prefer less sweet oats, slightly reduce the maple syrup; you can always add more as a topping on bars once they've been baked. For sweeter bars, add maple syrup on top of bars after they've been baked! This oatmeal can be served warm right out of the oven (our favorite way to enjoy it), at room temperature, or chilled -- whatever you prefer!