I get a lot of recipe requests and ideas from readers and, although I can’t try them all, I absolutely love hearing them. They’re so inspirational! Not too long ago, Sarah dropped me a line on Facebook asking if I had ever thought about making an oatmeal cookie flavored baked oatmeal. Well, what could be more natural than Oatmeal Cookie flavored Baked Oatmeal?
What’s in Oatmeal Cookie Flavored Baked Oatmeal
So I asked myself, “what makes an oatmeal cookie taste like an oatmeal cookie? What could I add to my generic baked oatmeal recipe to make it less like regular oatmeal and more like an oatmeal cookie?”
Of course it will need a little extra sugar, but I still want my baked oatmeal to be breakfast worthy and not just a large casserole dish full of dessert. So, I used a little extra brown sugar, increased the vanilla and cinnamon, added a pinch of nutmeg, threw in some raisins (obvi), and used up some unsweetened apple sauce that I had left over in my fridge (for added sweetness). Oh yeah! And butter. We’re going for “cookie” here, so I added a lil butter. The result?
It’s like an oatmeal cookie’s older, more healthful sibling. Not quite as rich and sweet as an oatmeal cookie (otherwise it would just be one), but it shares the same genes for sure. And yeah, this Oatmeal Cookie Baked Oatmeal WILL make your house smell like oatmeal cookies while baking!
What is Baked Oatmeal Like?
This tends to be a source of confusion on all past baked oatmeal recipes: the texture of baked oatmeal is not crunchy. It’s soft and moist, yet solid. Baked oatmeal is just oats baked into a custard. So think of it like bread pudding, but made with oats instead of bread.
How to Eat Baked Oatmeal
I love baked oatmeal because it can be served several different ways. It’s great hot right out of the oven, reheated in the microwave, or even cold. Sometimes I eat it as is, sometimes I add cold milk on top. This one is sweet enough for me, but if you want even more sweetness you can add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
Meal Prep It!
Baked oatmeal makes a great breakfast meal prep, or make-ahead breakfast. It will last about 4-5 days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for long term storage. I suggest dividing the baked oatmeal into single serving containers just after baking, then refrigerating them overnight. Once completely chilled, transfer some to the freezer for later and save a few in the refrigerator for the next few days.
“Oatmeal Cookie” Baked Oatmeal
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce ($1.00)
- 1 large egg ($0.27)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar ($0.16)
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract ($0.42)
- 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon ($0.15)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg ($0.02)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.06)
- 2 Tbsp melted butter ($0.20)
- 1.5 cups milk ($0.56)
- 1/2 cup raisins ($0.75)
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats ($0.51)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a large bowl, whisk together the apple sauce, egg, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and melted butter. Once whisked smooth, add the milk and whisk until smooth again.
- Add the raisins and dry rolled oats. Stir with a spoon until the mixture is combined. Lightly coat a 9×9 casserole dish (or any 2-3 quart casserole dish) with non-stick spray, then pour the oat mixture into the dish.
- Bake the oatmeal uncovered in the fully preheated oven for 45 minutes. Divide into six portions and serve. Baked oatmeal is good warm or cold and tastes great with cold milk poured over top.
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Nutrition
How to Make Oatmeal Cookie Baked Oatmeal – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together 1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract, 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, and 2 Tbsp melted butter.
Whisk those ingredients together until smooth.
Then add 1.5 cups milk and whisk again. It’s easier to add the milk after the thicker ingredients are already combined because it will be really splashy if you try to add the milk first.
Add 1/2 cup raisins and 3 cups of dry old-fashioned rolled oats. I like old-fashioned rolled oats the best because the pieces are large and have a lot of texture. If you use quick oats, there will be less texture variation in your final product.
Switch from a whisk to a spoon and stir the oats and raisins into the wet ingredients.
Lightly coat the inside of a 2-3 quart casserole dish (about 9×9 inches if using a square) with non-stick spray. Pour the oat mixture into the dish.
Bake the oats uncovered in the fully preheated oven for 45 minutes. The oats will absorb the liquid and become tender, but slightly chewy. The outer edges and surface should be ever so slightly browned.
Baked oatmeal tastes just as good cold as it does warm. Sometimes I reheat it in the microwave in the morning, but sometimes I just eat it cold. I love it with some cold milk poured over top.
Baked oatmeal 4 life! (Especially when it’s OATMEAL COOKIE Baked Oatmeal)
I have to say that while I love the various baked oatmeal variations, this is the one my kids love and keep asking for. It might be from the added chocolate chips (not swapped for raisins, but included with) or the way it feels like eating cookies for breakfast, but with less sugar. I also love how flexible the recipe is and the variations possible in adding different dried fruits, chopped nuts, or different flavored chips like chocolate or peanut butter.
Loved this a lot. Whipped cream an maple syrup come to the rescue.
This is one of my go-to recipes…I modify it to lighten it up a bit, but it is still delicious!
Today’s version:
Dates instead of raisins
Coconut oil instead of butter
Cashew milk instead of cow milk
1/4 cup brown sugar instead of 1/2 cup
Added 1/4 tsp ground clove and 2 Tbsp flax seeds
I’ve made it with dried cranberries, I’ve added pumpkin pie spice…I’ve really done a bunch to this recipe over the years and it never disappoints.
I eat one portion, then put the other 5 in mason jars. I heat it before I leave for work and enjoy it on my drive. So good!
I just made a variation on this recipe as my first attempt at baked oatmeal and I am very happy with how it turned out. The oatmeal cookie flavor really shined through, and I enjoyed the texture as well, compared to regular oatmeal.
The modifications I made were to veganize this recipe, using smart balance instead of the butter, a flax egg instead of a real egg, and oat milk in place of dairy milk. I also replaced half of the brown sugar with roughly 1/3 of a cup of stevia-sweetened vanilla protein powder to add a bit more protein. I was a bit worried about how it would turn out with all the substitutions, but I think the end result was better than I could have hoped for, and I’m definitely going to make this recipe again!
This is my favorite breakfast!!! I try to have oats every morning, and I was looking for a new way to have them. I’m SO GLAD I found it! To reduce sugar, I use a brown sugar/ stevia baking blend and only use one ounce of raisins. I use freshly grated nutmeg, which I highly recommend. It turns out amazing. Thank you! I will have to try the other flavors!
SUCH a tasty way to start the day! SO GOOD I had to immediately stick half of it in the freezer – otherwise I would have inhaled the entire thing in one sitting! I can eat this hot or cold (straight out of the fridge.)
This exceeded my expectations. It is absolutely a amazing. The only sub I did was chocolate chips instead of raisins. This is now added to my rotation. Thanks again for another great recipe! Everything I have made from your site is fantastic!
I just made this again this morning so I have easy breakfast for next week. It’s baking now and smells delicious.
This is a great recipe and fairly flexible! I made some substitutions based on what I have in the cupboard (canned pumpkin instead of applesauce, molasses instead of brown sugar, etc.) and it still worked like a charm.
I made this yesterday since I had all the ingredients and didn’t have to leave home during our covid stay at home orders. The house smelled like an oatmeal cookie and this baked up so well. Will definitely keep this on my meal prep rotation.
This is answers remake ahead breakfast. Other dried fruit like tart cherries and cranberries are good in this too,
OMG! I forgot to say I puree’d a whole bunch of spinach into the liquid before mixing with the oats. It’s not pretty but it’s a quick & easy way to get some greens in.
I didn’t have applesauce on hand, so I mashed up some brown bananas. I also swapped the raisins for chocolate chips. OMG it was absolutely delicious, and much more satisfying and hearty than a cookie!
I’m on day 8 of eating this for breakfast and I’m obsessed. I like to pop a portion in the microwave then top with some plain greek yogurt and sprinkle with cinnamon and it’s AMAZING! I can’t wait to dive into all of your other oatmeal recipes. Thanks for making breakfast easy!
I’ve commented on this recipe before, but since I’ve made it much more since then and since we’ve been on a baked oatmeal for breakfast kick for the last few months to the point that I have this recipe memorized, I felt it worth commenting again! I like this recipe for two reasons: First, the oat-to-wet-ingredients ratio is higher and there’s only one egg, which keeps it in a more cake-ward direction than your other baked oatmeal recipes I’ve tried which are too custardy for my liking (sometimes I add 1/4c flour, too, but not always). Second, if you omit the raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg, it’s a great blank slate to play around with. I have used the applesauce base with other fruit mixed in (apples with chai spices, blueberry with either maple or cardamom, blackberries with lime zest, and cranberries with orange zest), have used the applesauce base with sliced fruit, the butter, and part of the sugar on the bottom of the dish upside-down cake style (peaches and plums mostly), have swapped part of the applesauce for yogurt for a creamier version (especially like this when doing apple chunks mixed in to keep it balanced), and have successfully swapped other purees for all of the applesauce (pumpkin with pie spice and dark brown sugar, and mashed banana with half the sugar). And in the past when my dairy tolerance was lower, it worked fairly well with fake milks. I know you have other baked oatmeal recipes on here (including pumpkin and banana), but this one is so versatile that it’s all I need!
Hi, do you think I can add some frozen berries to this? Would that change any other ingredients amount? Probably should account for added moisture. Thanks!
Yes, you can add some frozen berries with no problem. :) I have a blueberry baked oatmeal that uses 8 oz. frozen blueberries and I don’t do anything differently. They don’t add a ton of extra moisture.
just tried it this morning w some frozen berries about a cup – turned out amazing. thank you so much!
Hi! Just made this as part of my meal prep to change things up with the baked oatmeal. It turned out very well and tastes delicious! I prepared it as listed.
We make this all the time for easy weekday breakfasts. Another yummy alternative we do is omit the nutmeg and substitute chocolate chips for raisins for an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie oatmeal!
Oooh great swaps!