BBB Lounge obsession from the past: Baked Oatmeal!

[JMS]

It's that kinda day here in PA.. I'm craving baked oatmeal! It's nutritious, nourishing and delicious. I haven't made it for years even though at one point I went through a phase of making it weekly (DD was one and now she is going on 9!).

Me and the search function are not great friends. We also have a ton of new members who might love the recipe. Would anyone mind jumping in with their tried and true version and go on and on about how your kids love it :)

TIA!

[mackmama]

Sounds yummy - I need this recipe! :)

[Melaine]

My version:
BBB Magic Oatmeal “Cake”

Combine:
4-5 cups of oatmeal
1-2 cups of yogurt
2 cups warm water

Let this sit on the counter for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 350*

Combine in a separate bowl:
1 cup sweetener: sugar, honey, molasses, turbinado, or whatever you want
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 Tbls cinnamon
1 Tbls baking powder
2 Tsp. vanilla

Add to oatmeal/yogurt mixture, then add:
1-2 cups of milk to desired texture: more milk makes it custardy, less makes it cakey
1-2 cups fruit of choice (fresh, dried, frozen)

Dump it in a 9" x 13" greased pan, bake for 1 hour. Let cool, then keep in fridge, you can reheat or eat cold.

Ideas for ingredients: frozen blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, applesauce, chopped apples, pears, peaches, raisins, golden raisins, canned p-apple, walnuts, almonds, wheat germ, bran, flax seed. Dessert version: cherries and mini chocolate chips.

[Melaine]

Love love love this recipe. Almost always in the fridge. Reasons we love:

1) versatile: great use of over ripe fruit (even some veggies, ie carrots, zucchini), getting old milk, expensive organic yogurt that I bought on deep clearance because it is about to expire. Use seasonal favorites!

2) fool-proof: spin off of versatile, you cannot mess this up. It may turn out different each time, but it is always yummy.

3) healthy: depends on how you make it but it can be really healthy and at it's worst it's still a heck of a lot better than a pop tart.

4) convenient: make-ahead, but still hot and filling. Great for school mornings. I even make a big pan and take it along to my parents house, everyone loves it. Also LOVE to make it the night before and have hubby throw it in the oven when he leaves the house about 6:30...by the time we are up and going it is delicious and ready!

5) my kids love it, but they love almost everything.

[mackmama]

This sounds delicious. Is the final product mushy like oatmeal or crisp like a bar? Can't quite envision it.

[jennilynn]

I've made this several times now and we love it! I've learned we like it custardy so I use 2 cups of milk (unsweetened rice milk.) I've made it with strawberries in the summer and apples in the fall. Next time I'm thinking of using pumpkin instead of all or most of the oil and dried cranberries and pecans.

[lfp2n]

Can you sub the oil with anything- or use less?

[wencit]

Lots of flavor combos in this thread: www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=356759 (http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=356759)


This sounds delicious. Is the final product mushy like oatmeal or crisp like a bar? Can't quite envision it. Depending on how much liquid you add and/or how long you bake it, it can be anywhere from custardy to cakey (how we like it). I've never had it turn out crisp like a bar, though!

[wencit]

Can you sub the oil with anything- or use less? I have cut the oil by 3/4 and used applesauce as a replacement with great results! :thumbsup:

[Dcclerk]

Can you sub the oil with anything- or use less?

I never use oil in mine, but I often use melted butter and I always use applesauce. I rarely use any sugar, but also usually use coconut milk (I have a guy with a dairy allergy). And I often don't use much, if any, water. It is an incredibly forgiving recipe. I totally agree-- we love it!

[sntm]

Regular oats? Steel cut? Instant?

[lmr1101]

I was told not to use instant oats. Always use the old fashioned, regular kind. I'm not sure if the steel cut will work.
I think if you use the instant they get very mushy!

[niccig]

This is my version that I believe is Egoldber's version. I need to make it tonight. I make a pan, let cool, cut into slices, freeze on a baking tray, then put into a ziplock bag. It's DS's breakfast on days I have to leave early and don't have time to make something or DH is doing breakfast duty that day. I'll also nuke a piece and eat in the car on my commute.



Combine:
5 cups of old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups of plain yogurt (i have used flavored yogurt in a pinch)
2 cups warm water

Let this sit on the counter for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 350*

Combine in a separate bowl:
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbls baking powder
1 Tbls vanilla

Combine with oatmeal mixture, then add 1.5 cups of milk to desired texture. Add 1-2 mashed bananas or other preferred additions.

Place in greased 9" x 13" pan, bake for about 50 minutes.

[american_mama]

Total hit in our house too, even for DH who hates oatmeal. Tastes baked, not slippery like stovetop oatemal.

I call it Oatmeal Casserole. I am generous with the milk and sugar, so it has a definite custard flavor to me, but can be toned down for those who don't like custard. Warm from the oven, the bottom half to third is sweet custard and the rest firm baked oatmeal with a slighlty crunchy top. Out of the refrigerator, the custard firms so it can be cut into squares that hold their shape.

Blueberries and canned peaches are my favorite, followed by raspberries and peaches or raspberries and anything.

I use old-fashioned oats or mostly old-fashioned and some steel cut. I'll look up the exact proportion later. Basically, you can substitute about 1/4? of the total oatmeal with steel cut and it's good, but the top gets even crunchier, almost nutty, so more than that and I think it would be too crunchy and un-palatable.

[KDsMommy]

OMG I totally need to make this!

[ang79]

Mmmm....will have to try these recipes, thanks! My girls love the flavored packets of oatmeal for breakfast, so this would be a nice change!

Has anyone ever tried it overnight in the crockpot, like this recipe?
http://www.undercovermother.net/2011/09/living-healthfully-baked-apple-pie.html

[123LuckyMom]

OMG!!! I never say that, but my heart is a-flutter like a pre-teen thinking about Justin Bieber!!! I am making this TOMORROW! I plan to cut it into bars so I can eat in the car. Will it hold together enough for that? Do I heat the bars in the oven or the microwave? At what temp and for how long? If this is like an oatmeal bar, I might get DS to eat it. I love oatmeal, and he doesn't, so I almost never make it any more, but I can see it all coming back to me now!

[oneplustwo]

Ha, I have a pan in the fridge that I made up yesterday. I make it all the time as our family loves it. I think Brittone2 first brought it to the BBB. Our family faves are cutting the oil a bit and adding a 1/2 cup of applesauce ~ makes it sweeter ~ or adding pumpkin puree. Most recently I've been using coconut oil for the oil. I've always used Bob's Red Mill rolled oats as we love the texture of that oatmeal. We make it on the cakey side. Been making it for years and we never get tired of it!

Here are all my old notes on the recipe, culled from various BBB threads:

It is a casserole type dish. It ends up sort of cake-like (not the same texture or sweetness as cake). You can slice it up, remove a slice, and reheat.

I'll post the recipe we use just in case anyone wants it. It is really flexible and accommodating. It makes it easy to sub different things and adjust (like, it would work with just 1 c of yogurt if you only had that much left if you upped the amount of water a bit, you can use all different sweeteners, although I've heard using anything significantly less than 1c of sweetener doesn't work well in this recipe)

The night before you make it, or several hours before you want to cook it, take 4-5 c of regular rolled oats, and combine with 1-2 c. of yogurt or kefir and about 2. c warmish water. Stir til moistened. You can leave it out on the counter (can cover with a dish towel). (this helps make the oats more digestable and nutritious by removing the phytates).

When it is time to cook, preheat oven to 350 and then
you take:

1 c. of sweetener of choice (sucanat, honey, maple syrup, rapadura, turbinado sugar, etc. will all work. You can play with using some of each...like a little maple syrup for the flavor combined w/ one of the others). Can use a little less if desired.

3/4 c. of oil of choice (can use some applesauce, even a little canned pumpkin for a partial substitution, which is a good use of that little bit of leftover pumpkin you sometimes have after making a pie or pumpkin muffins...haven't tried fully replacing the oil. I'm sure you could toss in random baby food puree like prunes, etc. too)

4 eggs

1 TB of cinnamon

1 TB of baking powder

2 tsp of vanilla (optional)

Mix this up. Add to oat mixture and stir. Stir in 1-2 c of milk (start w/ lesser amount and add more to get desired texture). You can play around with how you like this. It will be more custardy if you use more milk and cook a little less time, and more cakey if you cook it a little longer with less liquid). Add in 1-2 c of fruit of choice (dried, frozen, fresh, whatever. I've done bananas and added some nuts to the mix, I've done blueberries, I've done raisins with dried apples from some gross organic apple chips from costco that I bought LOL, I've done combos of blueberry and banana. My mom has done cranberry. You can do cherry, strawberry, etc. It is really really flexible and forgiving.

pour into greased 9x13 pan, and bake for around an hour (until set). Again, you can sort of play with the temp and cooking time to alter the consistency/texture.

Serve with milk, cream, maple syrup, butter, plain...whatever you like. Eat it hot, eat it cold. It reheats wonderfully. Great for nursing mamas for a supply boost too LOL. I love making this so DH and DS's breakfast are taken care of several days a week without making 1 or 2 messes each morning (saves DH cooking himself an egg or whatever and leaving grease splatters on my stove )

We really like this and like that you can change what you add to it. It also is kind of flexible in terms of amounts of ingredients if you are running low on something, etc.

Egoldbar’s version:

I typically use....

5 c oats
2c yogurt
2c water
1/3 c brown sugar (I don't like it very sweet)
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2-3 eggs
1 c milk

Sometimes I add a mushed up banana, but otherwise I don't usually add any fruit.

Mine bakes for about 45-50 minutes at 325 in clear Pyrex 13x9 pan. No altitude here.

Another BBB description of the recipe:

BBB Magic Oatmeal “Cake”

Combine:
4-5 cups of oatmeal
1-2 cups of yogurt
2 cups warm water

Let this sit on the counter for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 350*

Combine in a separate bowl:
1 cup sweetener: sugar, honey, molasses, turbinado, or whatever you want
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 Tbls cinnamon
1 Tbls baking powder
2 Tsp. vanilla

Add to oatmeal/yogurt mixture, then add:
1-2 cups of milk to desired texture: more milk makes it custardy, less makes it cakey
1-2 cups fruit of choice (fresh, dried, frozen)

Dump it in a 9" x 13" greased pan, bake for 1 hour. Let cool, then keep in fridge, you can reheat or eat cold.

Ideas for ingredients: frozen blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, applesauce, chopped apples, pears, peaches, raisins, golden raisins, canned p-apple, walnuts, almonds, wheat germ, bran, flax seed. Dessert version: cherries and mini chocolate chips.

Recommended variations from BBBers:

frozen blueberries, chopped apples, walnuts and dried cranberries.

Dried Cherries and Dark Chocolate (for a dessert)

Pineapple and coconut.

Blackberry.

Our regular morning is Cranberries, Raisins. Sometimes Cherries and Blueberries.

I've figured out that one sack of Bob's Red Mill oats is ten cups, and the big container of Stonyfield Cream Top yogurt is four cups - perfect for two batches.
So far we've tried the following mix-ins:
Apple Cinnamon: Apples, cinnamon and vanilla extract
Banana Chai: bananas, vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom
Blueberry Almond: frozen blueberries and almond extract
I've been thinking pumpkin gingerbread - canned pumpkin puree, molasses for some of the sweetener, and chopped candied ginger.

I love using the frozen berry blend at Costco in my baked oatmeal - blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

My favorite is pear and raisin made with ripe fresh pears - sooo good.

I've also made:
- peach blueberry using canned peaches and frozen wild blueberries.
- banana split - fresh bananas, canned pineapple and frozen strawberries

Walnuts and dark chocolate chips, sometimes with banana pieces too.

i made a batch yesterday and put half in two separate 8x8 pans-- i did apple strawberry and apple raspberry.

I usually go on the more 'cake' side of the milk - 1 c or less. I have also made it in muffin pans, just cut the baking time by about 10 mins. Many times I make a whole batch, fill my muffin pans (12 muffins) and then pour the rest in a slightly smaller pan than it calls for. I use regular rolled oats, not the quick-cook.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

just as a data point - my entire family hated this and I threw out the whole pan. I love oatmeal and even I couldn't stomach it.

it doesn't taste enough like oatmeal OR cake and it doesn't feel like either one either. It's just a strange thing that isn't any one thing and we couldn't find anything to like about it.

[KpbS]

This is the year I'm going to give it a try even though it might just be me and DS2 eating it. Note to self, reduce the recipe! :)

[RedSuedeShoes]

We are big baked oatmeal fans around here, too. I usually make a double batch weekly. I love all the flavor combos suggested here! I'll have to try them out this winter. I usually do this combo below, but have also used mashed bananas and mini chocolate chips. I have not made the BBB recipe, but here's mine.

4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar (brown, white or raw)
2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup dried blueberries (or occasionally mini chocolate chips)
2/3 cup walnuts (I usually don't mix these in, but do toast them in the oven at the same time so we can add them on top)

2 cups milk
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil (have used grapeseed, too)
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 tsp. vanilla (I don't measure)

Mix drys and wets separately and then together. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Have let the mixture soak in the pan first for an hour or so when I have time, but usually don't.

[DietCokeLover]

just as a data point - my entire family hated this and I threw out the whole pan. I love oatmeal and even I couldn't stomach it.

it doesn't taste enough like oatmeal OR cake and it doesn't feel like either one either. It's just a strange thing that isn't any one thing and we couldn't find anything to like about it.

This was us too. No one liked it. I was so disappointed.

[LizLemon]

Thanks to everyone who posted recipes!

For those who didn't like it (or those who do)...I am an oatmeal fan, everything from the instant stuff in packets to steel cut. I also like muffins, cakes, etc. How would you describe the texture or the baked oatmeal? Given my preferences, I'm guessing I might want to add less milk to give it a more firm texture.

[specialp]

Thanks to everyone who posted recipes!

For those who didn't like it (or those who do)...I am an oatmeal fan, everything from the instant stuff in packets to steel cut. I also like muffins, cakes, etc. How would you describe the texture or the baked oatmeal? Given my preferences, I'm guessing I might want to add less milk to give it a more firm texture.

I HATE regular oatmeal with a passion, but I like baked oatmeal fine. I make it with less milk, so it is not custard-y which I think is what most here prefer. The texture to me (using less milk) is more like a muffin (and you can slice it), but with the stickiness of oatmeal.

[niccig]

I HATE regular oatmeal with a passion, but I like baked oatmeal fine. I make it with less milk, so it is not custard-y which I think is what most here prefer. The texture to me (using less milk) is more like a muffin (and you can slice it), but with the stickiness of oatmeal.

:yeahthat: I use 1.5 cups of milk and it's soft not exactly cake, but not custard either. I freeze it in slices and nuke it and it still keeps it's shape. I eat it in the car during my commute.

[doberbrat]

I remembered this thread from way back and started making them last year but I needed dairy free so I found/adapted my own.

Original is http://www.recipelion.com/Bars/Easy-Baked-Oatmeal-Bars#

• 4 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup reg sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1/4 applesauce
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
add fruit - 1-2 banannas + whatever 1/2 cup else I have - apples, dried or fresh blueberries, frozen berry mix from TJ.

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor (I start w/oatmeal to get a better texture). Press into a greased 9 inch square pan.
3. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

It makes a very dense cake/bar. I cut into slices and there are crumbs but not as much as a cake. The choc chips keep it fun for dd even though its not that much. I've also cut the suger when I ran out w/o it being that noticeble.

[anamika]

This was us too. No one liked it. I was so disappointed.

Me three. DH likes oatmeal but I don't. None of us liked it. B'fast is the hardest meal for me (I have lunch and dinner all wrapped up usually). I almost cried when both DH and DD wouldn't eat it.

[sntm]

I made it last night but haven't eated it yet. I added PB2 (the chocolate flavor) and it smelled just like my favorite cookies (which are oats, cocoa, peanut butter melted together with other stuff and then dropped as cookies to harden - YUM!). If it tastes anywhere near that, I will make it weekly.

[elektra]

Me three. DH likes oatmeal but I don't. None of us liked it. B'fast is the hardest meal for me (I have lunch and dinner all wrapped up usually). I almost cried when both DH and DD wouldn't eat it.

Yeah, us too. I felt like it needed a pound more sugar, or else be just regular oatmeal.

[mackmama]

I made it yesterday. It's ok ... definitely not very sweet, but maybe that's a good thing. I also substituted applesauce for all of the oil/butter.

[BDKmom]

Made this for the first time today...not bad. I have been looking for something hearty that I could eat on the run, so I cut it up and froze it like niccig suggested. Looking forward to playing around with different ingredients. I definitely think I want to add nuts of some kind to give it a little more texture. Even though I made it on the cakier side, it was still a little more mushy than I would prefer.

[pomegranate]

Based on the rave reviews, I made this for the first time over the weekend. I used 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 2 small apples, handful of raisins, 2 c. greek yogurt, 4-5 c. oatmeal, 2 c. water, 3/4 c. combo apple sauce and veg oil, 1 cup combo brown sugar/honey, plus the baking powder/cinnamon/vanilla. I liked it! I admit I didn't love it, but definitely liked it enough to make it again. DS ate about half his piece along with the rest of his breakfast (eggs and fruit). What I really like about it is that I ate a piece this morning around 7am before work and it kept me satisfied until noon! That's what I call a power breakfast! Thanks to the OP for bringing this one back and for all those who chimed in with their recipe variations. And my recipe yielded a lot - way more than a 9x13 pan.

[sntm]

Agree that it is very filling! Easier than similar muffins I've made. Picky DSO liked it but not enough to skip his usual toast w pb.
I like it better reheated with a touch of butter.

[kijip]

I am going to make a batch with fresh pumpkin and grated fresh ginger this week. Mine is dairy free, no yogurt. Just coconut and/or almond milk. It's always been a hit here. I add blackstrap molasses and a ton of ground flax to mine these days as well.

[karstmama]

ok, i'm giving this a try. i'm totally taking advantage of the flexibility of the recipe to get rid of...um, i mean 'use appropriately'...some orphan ingredients. so if i don't like it, i'm willing to even try it again with different stuff!

i'm using kefir, 3 eggs, about 1/2 cup chocolate malt-o-meal, some butterscotch chips, some chopped up prunes, some craisins, 2 packets of instant apple-cinnamon oatmeal...see what i mean? if i *do* like it, it's a miracle, and if i don't i'll give it another chance anyway!

i'll let y'all know. ;)

[Melaine]

made it this week with canned pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg and a few chocolate chips. The girls devoured it. I didn't get to taste bc of my diet but it certainly smelled good.

[edurnemk]

I definitely think I want to add nuts of some kind to give it a little more texture. Even though I made it on the cakier side, it was still a little more mushy than I would prefer.

Good idea, I also found it a bit more mushy than I would prefer.

[mackmama]

made it this week with canned pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg and a few chocolate chips. The girls devoured it. I didn't get to taste bc of my diet but it certainly smelled good.

This sounds great - how much of each did you use? Which recipe did you use?

[LizLemon]

I made it a couple weeks ago. Not terrible but not a hit, either. My husband and I ate it for a few days and then forgot about it, so most of it ended up dying a slow death in the refrigerator. :shake:

I really minimized the amount of milk but still found this recipe a bit too mushy for my taste. I agree with the above posters who wanted it to have more structure. It was sort of like a gluey, overly set oatmeal. That being said, I didn't hate it. It seems healthful and fairly convenient so I am thinking about how to tinker with the recipe to make it more in line with my tastes. I frequently try to invent healthy yet tasty muffin recipes utilizing pumpkin, oatmeal, whole wheat flour, etc., and I was wondering if adding a little flour to this would make the texture more agreeable.

[Melaine]

This sounds great - how much of each did you use? Which recipe did you use?

I used the recipe that I posted above, but I admit I am very *flexible* (read: lazy) about the amounts. I probably did a tsp of cloves, and nutmeg? Now I can't even remember but I was going with the typical pumpkin pie spices. and 3/4 cup chocolate chips, and one whole can of pumpkin.

[karstmama]

mine turned out good! i froze about half & have half in the fridge. even ds likes it, since i sold it as oatmeal cookies...shhhh... :)