Baked Oatmeal

I have remembered eating baked oatmeal ever since I can remember anything. At camp in the summer there was always a fresh batch one morning of the week. And every week when that certain day rolled around, we swarmed the kitchen when it was our turn. Going up to get one piece, go back, sit down, devour and go back for seconds. Ask for a third piece. Wish for a fourth piece. Get one if your lucky. It was that good.

Since going gluten free, I can't have the same baked oatmeal as everybody else since the camp stuff is made with tainted oats, but I can make my own. Oh, it is so easy and soo good. If you never have made baked oatmeal before, nows your chance. No excuses. None.

This recipe is different than all the other "baked oatmeal" recipes you can find on the internet. This recipe is tried and true. Passed down lovingly from baker to baker through the generations of summer after summer at camp. Even the self proclaimed "oatmeal haters" love this recipe. And you will love it too.

Brookwoods Baked Oatmeal

3/4 cup oil - you can use butter but it's never been done so I don't know about the taste, I use coconut oil

1 cup sugar - I use maple syrup

3 eggs

4 1/2 cup GF steel cut oats

2 3/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tablespoons + 2 tsp milk or alternative - I use almond milk, coconut milk or a raw milk

1 tsp cinnamon - feel free to add more, I usually do

To make your baked oatmeal:

1. Combine oil, sugar, eggs, and beat until glossy yellow.

2. Add remaining ingredients.

3. Add cinnamon.

4. Pour into a 9x13 sprayed/greased pan.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

6. Let cool at least 5 minutes before enjoying.

Baked oatmeal tastes great and will taste even better as it sits in the fridgerator waiting to be eaten. I make up a batch and use it for breakfast for the week. I think a 9x13 pan might be a little bit too big. The end result should be 2 inches thick, and mine has been a little thin lately. If you have a slightly smaller pan it might work better. The weird measures in this recipe are because the recipe has been scaled down from two large sheet cakes. I personally think the texture and taste is better from those huge batches, but that's just what I have grown up eating. This is a great way to get some nutritious oats into kids that don't like it! Be sure to warm it up in the microwave and top it with some nuts, peanut butter, berries, milk or yogurt. My all time favorite used to be baked oatmeal and Stonyfield farms vanilla lowfat yogurt. And of course, you can eat baked oatmeal intact, that is, still in the square form, or you can break it up with your spoon. Everyone has a certain way they do it each time.

But it's so much more than food. So much more than a recipe, or getting your kids to eat something they would rather die than touch. It's the cold camp morning and the anticipation of warm baked oatmeal goodness and wondering if I'll get a second piece. It's about a memory and the nostalgia I get when a warm bowl of baked oatmeal is nestled between my fingers.