Follow me as I dive into the world that is cooking! There will be mishaps, burns and feasts as you watch my progression from college-student fare (pizza rolls and ramen noodles) to (hopefully) goddess of the hearth! I am always open to new recipes and ideas, so feel free to contact me.

August 26, 2011

Cherry-Topped Baked Oatmeal (Gluten-free)

Good morning!  I made something for breakfast, and now it reeks of heaven in here!  This morning I was in a creative mood, and decided to whip up some baked oatmeal.  I'd read the recipe a hundred times over in The New Cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens (my cooking bible, if you will), and thought it was lacking something.  So I added some sweet, juicy, rich cherries on top.  That did it.  I make oatmeal at least once per week, adding weird things to it and cooking it at different lengths to see how it affects the texture.  Weird, I know.  But I love breakfast, and oats are such a big part of that first meal of the day!


Now nowhere in here am I going to say that this is a "healthy" breakfast.  It's better for you than cinnamon rolls or a Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage sandwich, but it still has plenty of sugar and butter to go around.  I suppose you could make it healthy by adding or subtracting a few ingredients, but this is how I like it, and this is how it's going to be presented to you.  My mother in-law doesn't typically like things that are too too sweet, so I think if you're with her on that then I'd stick to the basic recipe and not do the topping, or add dried fruits to the oatmeal instead.  On a side note, this is a gluten-free recipe for those of you who are in search of such recipes!

This will be something I will serve to my kids one day on a cold morning.  It's warm, comforting and sweet with just the right hint of oats and nuts.  Jhet also came in, tried it, and said it would make a great dessert if it was topped with ice cream!  Great gravy!  Either way, this stuff's good.  Patting myself on the back.


Cherry-Topped Baked Oatmeal

Printable Version
Takes:  10 prep, 20 mins bake
Makes:  4 Servings
You Need:
  • 1 3/4 C milk
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 C rolled oats
  • 1/3 C raisins (golden are best)
  • 4 Tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
For the Cherry Topping:
  • 1 C frozen sweet cherries
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • Pinch of oat flour
  • 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish, set aside.  Bring the milk and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Slowly stir in oats then raisins.  Stir in 2 Tablespoons of the brown sugar, all of the vanilla, and the salt.  Cook and stir for one minute.  Pour into the casserole dish.  Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.


2.  In the same saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.  Stir in brown sugar until combined.  Add cherries and cook, stirring, for one minute to allow juices to melt and release.  Add a bit of oat flour to thicken the mixture slightly and make sure it holds its consistency when baked.  Cook about one minute more or until mixture is hot, then remove from heat.


3.  Remove oatmeal mixture from oven after the 15 minutes is up.  Slowly pour cherry mixture over the oats, then top with nuts and a sprinkle of brown sugar.  Return to oven at 350 and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until nuts are toasted slightly and mixture is bubbly.  Cool a bit then serve warm.  You can serve this with more milk if desired, or spoon ice cream over it as a cobbler-like dessert*.


*Another option for dessert is baking the oatmeal, then spooning the ice cream on top of the oatmeal and adding the cherry topping and nuts on top of that!  Woohoo!

5 comments:

  1. Also, I think you could use blueberries instead of cherries and get the same results! If you do, let me know how it turns out.

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  2. Oh man! I can't wait to make this! My spouse loves oatmeal and will love this recipe :)

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  3. I'm obsessed with oatmeal!!! Put up more recipes about how you fix it!!

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  4. I used raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries and it was SO good!!

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  5. That sounds awesome! I'll have to try that next time.

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