Apple-Plum Baked Oatmeal (enjoy warm or cold)

I’ve made a few baked oatmeals in the past but this one is my favorite.

Out of the oven, the baked oatmeal has the characteristics of a crumble, soft and melty as you scoop it into your bowl but as it cools, it gels (even without the addition of egg) which makes it easy to cut into squares and pop in the fridge for a ready-to-eat cold breakfast (or snack) on a hot summer’s day.  I love taking it out of the fridge in the afternoon and slicing it up into little bites with a cup of tea.

Stone fruit are in their glory right now and I couldn’t resist using some of our handsome plums for this recipe.

Love how nature coats them in a protective milky film, the wax bloom, that acts as a barrier against insects and bacteria and also helps seal the fruit’s freshness.  The bloom fades with time and handling so most of the ones you see in the store won’t have it.

Under the bloom, the plum’s dark skin is full of phenols — those powerful phytonutrients that operate as antioxidants in our bodies.

And, would you look at that color… our master bathroom in Ottawa was a similar shade; I could stare at it all day long.  I once read that lavender represents silence, devotion, serenity, grace and calmness.  Sounds about right.

Flavor & Fruit: the sweet pops of plum combined with apple, cinnamon and wafts of cardamom make for a heavenly experience (we’re on our third batch!) but you won’t have trouble finding delicious ripe fruit of any kind this time of year (including bountiful berries) so choose according to taste preference and experiment with different combinations to discover what you like best.

If you’re going with stone fruit (plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries) you’ll want to pick fruit that’s nice and ripe for optimum flavor and juiciness (the fruit should have some give) but not overly soft/mushy.

Nuts: I layered the top of this oat bake generously with chunky walnuts (our personal fave) — you can skip this altogether or switch-up the nuts and quantities to suit preference.

Homemade Apple Sauce: I made my own simple apple sauce for this recipe and it turned out great! (not sure why I’ve never done it before, so fun and satisfying).  Just pop the ingredients – in recipe card below – in a small food processor and blend for under a minute.  Store in fridge to keep it from turning to mush.

Ready-Made Breakfast for the Week: this baked oatmeal will last up to 5 days in the fridge so you can enjoy throughout the week cold or warmed up as desired.

Enjoy this bowl of yumminess on it’s own or serve with a swoosh of yogurt, drizzle of milk or cream — what yogurts, milks/creams are you enjoying these days?  I’ve not yet found a dairy free yogurt I’m thrilled with (still sampling and open to suggestions!) On the milk side, oat & almond are faves in our home.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Apple-Plum Baked Oatmeal (Vegan, GF)

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

An apple-plum baked oatmeal that can be enjoyed warm or cold on a hot summer's morning. Infused with cinnamon spice and delicate sweet-tart flavor notes, truly delicious!

Author: Kelly

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• Dry:
• 180 g (2¼ cups) whole grain rolled oats (GF as required)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ⅓ tsp ground cardamom
• a few cracks of salt (about ⅓ tsp)
  
  
• Wet:
• 480 mL (16 oz/ 2 cups ) almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 200 g (1 cup) apple sauce (I made a quick blender apple sauce see below)
• 60 mL (1/4 cup) or slightly more maple syrup (according to taste)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
  
  
• Mix-Ins:
• 350 g (about 6) ripe plums, diced skin on (if the plums are not ripe, the oatmeal will be overly tart)
• 62 -125 g (1/2 - 1 cup) chopped walnuts (or any nut of preference) for topping
• 
  
  
• Homemade Apple Sauce:
• In a blender, combine:
• 2 apples peeled and coarsely chopped (I used fuji)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• up to 1 Tbsp water but incrementally
• blitz just until blended (without turning to complete mush/water)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 F
2. Lightly grease a 2-quart / 2 L casserole dish (I used glass 8" x 11" // 20cm x 28cm)
3. In a roomy bowl combine: oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder (I use a mini sifter to work out the hard bits), nutmeg, cardamom and salt, mixing well to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, combine almond milk, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla, whisking to combine.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring to combine (mixture will be very dilute) stir in the plum pieces and then spoon the mixture into greased dish.
6. Sprinkle the top with nuts and press down gently into the oatmeal mixture (1 cup will give you a nice nutty oatmeal if you like that (we love it), if not, just pare back to preference or skip altogether).
7. Bake uncovered for about 35 minutes - fruit will start to bubble especially around the corners (it will also smell divine).
8. Allow it to cool slightly on a rack before dishing out warm -- or -- cool completely before storing in fridge.
9. The oatmeal will last up to 5 days (the nuts will get progressively softer but otherwise it's really yummy for days). You can reheat or enjoy cold on a warm summer's day.

3.5.3251

our third batch, still tasting mighty fine out of the fridge on day 4!