For an easy breakfast to prepare ahead of time, try this apple spice oatmeal that’s baked in a muffin tin and full of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Oatmeal cups are a newer concept to me. I love baked oatmeal, because for some reason it tastes so much more delicious to me than cooking it another way. So, in addition to having oatmeal already prepared for quick breakfasts throughout the week, I decided to go the extra step of making them into individual portions—AKA, using a muffin tin.
At first I was skeptical about it being as good as a big batch of baked oatmeal, like my Coconut Almond Baked Oatmeal. But I’m happy to report that it was just as delicious—and there’s the extra benefit of being able to pick it up, if you want to eat it on the go. The first time I ate these, I enjoyed them still warm from the oven. They also tasted good reheated in a bowl with some milk, if that’s how you prefer your oatmeal. I liked how much of a no-brainer these were. I didn’t have to add anything to them. I just took two each morning, heated them up, and ate them as I got ready for work.
Since it’s starting to feel more like fall, I’ve been wanting to incorporate the flavors into my cooking more often. While I’m all about pumpkin flavors, I actually prefer apple most of the time. So I went with a spiced apple theme for this warming bowl cup of oats.
I didn’t want huge chunks of apple in my oatmeal cups, so I chopped a Gala apple into a small pieces and mixed it up into the spiced oat mixture. I’ve made these with and without pecans before, and I think pecans take the recipe to a whole new recipe, so I highly recommend using them! Other nuts like walnuts would also work really well.
And like most fall recipes, these fill the house with such a divine aroma—which is especially wonderful in the mornings, in my opinion. It’s such a great way to start the day!
Ingredients:
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 Tbs flaxseed meal
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans + more for garnish
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp all spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 medium Gale apple peeled, cored, and chopped (about 1 cup)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by coating it with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, flaxseed, pecans, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, syrup, and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry oat mixture, and stir until combined. Mix in the chopped apple.
- Divide the oatmeal mixture among the 12 cups of the muffin tin. Sprinkle extra pecans over the tops.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until the tops begin to turn golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Do you prefer apple or pumpkin flavors in the fall?
What’s your favorite way to prepare oatmeal?
