If you didn’t already know this about me, you’re about to learn something: I love oatmeal. Like, a lot! Recently, I’ve been eating a lot of baked oatmeal dishes, and I just can’t get enough of it! One of my favorite things about baked oatmeal is that it’s such an easy breakfast to make-ahead for the week, saving me a lot of time in the mornings. Good food that’s quick and already prepared?! It’s a win-win situation!
There are so many different flavor combinations you can use when making oatmeal, but one of my favorites will always be the classic apple cinnamon. So therefore, I decided to take my favorite oatmeal flavor and turn it into baked oatmeal muffins! This way, I could still have breakfast already made ahead, but this option would be easier to eat if I was on-the-go or sitting in the car for a long period of time.
As I was making these, everything was coming along perfect – no issues or bumps in the road. That is, until I went to take them out of the pans. I decided not to line the muffin tins with paper liners, but rather, I just sprayed them with non-stick spray. Boy, was I regretting that decision 30 minutes later! My first time making them, I pretty much destroyed half of the muffins by trying to get them out of the pan. Even though they didn’t look pretty, they still tasted alright. And that was plenty enough for me.
The second time I made them, I decided to press my luck and spray the pan again instead of using paper liners. I was determined to make it work, and I wasn’t going to give up without another shot. This time, I made sure I sprayed the whole entire muffin cup (not just the bottom), and I also used my fingers to spread the oil around and make sure it reached the whole cup. I wasn’t taking any chances – I was doing all I could to make sure the muffins came out!
When the oatmeal muffins were done baking, I decided to let them cool a bit longer in their pans instead of pulling them out right away. So this time, after removing them from the oven, I set the tray on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes and crossed my fingers when it came time to remove them from the pans.
Thankfully, it was much easier to remove the muffin cups this time. I still needed a knife to go around the edges of each muffin tin to loosen it up, but it was so much easier to remove them than the first time I made them. I guess this just goes to show that good things are worth waiting for and that we need to be patient! (Unless you want to eat crumbled baked oatmeal muffins…)
Since then, I have made these muffins multiple times, and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. Even though they may be small, they’re actually very filling, thanks to the protein provided by the egg and the complex carbs provided by the oats. They’re flavorful enough that I like to eat them on their own, but every now and again, I like to serve them with some Siggi’s yogurt and fresh berries for a little extra protein and flavor. However, they’re not just great for breakfast; these muffins also make wonderful snacks for in-between meals! How or when you choose to eat them is entirely up to you, but here’s one thing I can say for sure: you’ll want to give these babies a try!
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- About 1 ½ cups peeled and diced apples (about two medium apples)
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. (Yields 14-15)
- In a medium bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, unsweetened applesauce, and vanilla extract.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Gently fold in diced apples. Spoon mixture into each muffin tin, filling almost to the top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cups are set and golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 20-30 minutes in pan, then remove and let cool completely.
