Oats have been getting lots of press lately – one of those super foods, lowers your cholesterol, they say.  Well, I don’t know whether the health benefits live up to the hype – but this baked oatmeal recipe sure does.  I really didn’t know what to expect the first time I tried baked oatmeal – I was away on the beaches of Delaware during the off-season for a work event, and on this chilly fall morning we opted to go find a hot breakfast rather than eat the hotel standard fruit offering.  The picturesque little coffee shop across the street turned out to be well known for its baked oatmeal bars, and so I figured I would give one a try.  It was love at first bite.  The chewy sweet goodness covered in steaming hot milk warmed me up so well I nearly forgot it was October by the coast. 

Now that fall is coming around the corner once again, it was the perfect time to break out the rolled oats and make my own.  The recipe I found called for dried fruit which I didn’t have – I instead substituted some frozen berries I happened to have on hand (at my husband/food critic’s suggestion) and this was probably the best decision I made.  Little did I know how well raspberries would taste baked into oatmeal!  You certainly could substitute other fruit – pears, apples, and peaches all come to mind – but give it a try with some berries on these days where you still crave those summer berry flavors, but with a little bit of the fall baked in.  Serve your baked oatmeal warm from the oven, topped with some steamed milk, and you will have a toasty warm breakfast to brighten up your fall weekend.

Baked Berry Oatmeal – modified from Blanchl, Baked Oatmeal II on allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, straight from the freezer
• 3/4 cup frozen raspberries, straight from the freezer

• Instructions:

  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Add eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract and stir until well combined.  Gently fold in frozen berries.  Spread the batter (which will be fairly thick) into a 9×13 inch baking dish, and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is lightly golden.  To serve, slice into squares and top with steamed milk.  Enjoy!

Thanks for the kind introduction Beth!

I first made these cookies a few years ago when I was in the middle of a health-kick and wanted something sweet after dinner. I found the recipe for low-fat oatmeal raisin cookies on allrecipes.com - they contain no oil and no eggs, but the addition of applesauce keeps them moist all the same! They come out a little more cakey than traditional oatmeal-raisin cookies, and make a very hearty snack while still keeping fat to a minimum. In the past, I’ve made them larger and called them Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Bars – a great grab-and-go breakfast. The original recipe calls for plain applesauce, but I usually use cinnamon applesauce because that’s what we usually have on hand. If you choose to add walnuts, I suggest toasting them first – 10 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees will bring out some extra nutty taste.

Low-Fat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup cinnamon applesauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C ). Grease a cookie sheet.
In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, white sugar, and applesauce. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the applesauce mixture. Add the rolled oats, raisins and chopped nuts (if desired); stir until combined.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool slightly before removing from the baking sheet.

I haven’t baked in nearly a month. After my Christmas baking extravaganza, I decided that I needed to take break from sweets and embarked upon a one month baking moratorium. Entertaining or bringing goodies to a friends home were the only exceptions to my rule. We had company tonight, so I could bake with a clear conscience.

I wanted something sweet, but not too heavy. With the cold temperatures expected this weekend, I figured that I wanted something that would go well with a warm cup of tea. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies seemed to fit the bill, so I thumbed through my cookbook collection in search of a recipe.

Both Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens had recipes that looked simple and tasty. Betty Crocker won me over by offering a low-fat version of the recipe. Using unsweetened applesauce in place of shortening and Eggbeaters instead of eggs cut the fat and calories quite a bit. Since the texture of oatmeal cookies can vary widely and still taste wonderful, I figured it was worth a shot.

Since I forgot to purchase Eggbeaters, I used regular eggs and only substituted applesauce for shortening. The substitution did not cause any problems in consistency or taste, and I would happily try Eggbeaters next time.

When I first removed the cookies from the oven and transferred them to my wire racks, they seemed very soft and I was concerned that they wouldn’t hold together well. The cookies were soft and chewy – a little softer than I expected – but delicious. As they cooled completely, the cookies took on more firmness. They’re still moist, soft and chewy, but the cookies hold their shape and don’t crumble as easily. The applesauce did not change the flavor of the oatmeal cookies much. If anything, it added an extra hint of sweetness.

I enjoyed a few cookies with a piping hot cup of Lady Grey tea tonight. I’m happy with the recipe selection and will certainly be making these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies again.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook
Yields about 48 cookies

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
3 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugars.
3. Add applesauce, eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar. Mix well.
4. Mix in the dry ingredients (flour mixture and oats).
5. Stir in chocolate chips
6. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned along edges. Immediate remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.

* 1/2 cup of shortening may be used in place of applesauce. If shortening is used, reduce vanilla and cinnamon to 1 tsp each.

* 1/2 cup of Eggbeaters may be used in place of 2 eggs.