Baked Oatmeal

I vividly remember the first time my mother made this recipe. A friend had given it to her (that's all I know about who to source this recipe to) and she made it one morning for breakfast. I was in love. Before this, I didn't care for oatmeal unless it was in cookie form. But this ... this was delicious. It has the perfect texture. Not mushy at all, and -- if you bake it right -- it has a thin custard-type layer on the bottom. I love custard. No fear, though. If you bake it too long, it will still be good. The custard layer will just be dry and the baked oatmeal itself will be more dry.

By the time I was a teenager, I made baked oatmeal several times a week. I love to make it now when it's cold outside. It's delicious by itself, but when I have time I like to make baked apples to serve over it, drizzling the juice on top. Some people also prefer to eat it with some milk poured over it. Not me.

These do have raisins in them

A word of caution for those with celiac: Even certified GF oats can cause a problem for some celiacs. If your doctor has given you the okay to try GF oats (you need to be GF at least a year before trying them) and you have problems after eating them, you may be one of those celiacs.

Now, here's the recipe:

Projected prep time: 5 min; Bake time: 30-35 min.
(Printable Recipe)
2 c. certified GF oats
2 large eggs
1 tsp. GF, aluminum-free baking powder (who wants to eat aluminum?? I use Watkins b/c I sell it, but Rumford is also aluminum-free)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt (you can bet unless I specify otherwise, it's sea salt or kosher salt)
1/2 c. packed brown sugar (I prefer C&H dark brown for this)
1/4 c. vegetable oil or melted butter
3/4 c. milk (for dairy-free use almond milk or rice milk -- almond milk is better)

Mix well and pour into 8-inch square baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes. If desired, top with baked apples (and the juice) or raisins. Sometimes I'll bake chopped apples into it, but I prefer to just top it with the apples. Enjoy!