You always knew it was a special day in our house growing up if there was baked oatmeal for breakfast. This wasn’t just your average Wednesday morning fare, this was reserved for holidays and lazy mornings. And there was a reason – it was an indulgent splurge!

The recipe actually originated (in our house, at least) from a Bed & Breakfast up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. We used to go up there with a few other families and enjoy some time jumping into the lake with a rope swing (summer) or “sledding” by being pulled behind a pick-up truck (winter). Lots of fun memories associated with this recipe.

I originally put this on the blog in honor of Mother’s Day, and it’s good enough to be part of a special homemade breakfast or brunch. However, it’s also easy enough to be part of your everyday rotation. It also reheats well, so leftovers are perfect for busy mornings.

For the nursing moms out there, you can add about 2-3 Tbs of brewer’s yeast to improve milk production. Oats are also a natural way to support breast milk. Add the brewer’s yeast to the recipe with the rest of the dry ingredients.

This is a classic recipe where you combine the dry ingredients separate from the wet ingredients, and then combine them all before baking.

For the dry ingredients, start with old-fashioned oats, or rolled oats. I have made this recipe many ways, including with a multigrain cereal mix from Quaker. The Simple & Wholesome line is free from artificial ingredients or added sugars – it’s just the whole grains. Mostly oats but with a little extra pizzaz. You could also toss in some chia or flaxseeds for added texture.

Based on my experience, you don’t want to use steel-cut oats for this recipe (cooking time too long and oats will still be crunchy), or instant oats (opposite problem of the steel-cut oats).

Whisk in the sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. You want to ensure there are no clumps of baking powder, as it is not a tasty surprise in the finished product! Trust me.

For the wet ingredients, whisk the eggs, then add the milk and oil. Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, let it all sit while you preheat the oven. I know that most recipes encourage you to preheat the oven before you start a recipe, but in this case, it gives you time for the oats to soak up the milk.

Bake in a preheated oven on 350 for about 35 minutes. I like to lightly grease the baking pan (9x13ish), but that is a personal preference. You’ll need to stir a couple of times during the baking process to help break it up and keep it fluffy.

You want the finished product to be golden brown and fluffy, but all of the liquid absorbed and the oats to dry out a little. Think about the difference between almost cooked brownies and fully cooked. If it’s still wet, keep baking.

There are many ways to serve this delicious baked oatmeal. Honestly, any way that you like your oats will work, though some of the savory breakfast bowl options might not jive with this slightly sweetened dish. A favorite in our house was with a warm berry sauce and milk. Fresh or frozen fruit and Greek yogurt is a great option, as is a nice drizzle of nut butter.

Baked Oatmeal

serving size: 1/2 cup, serves: 10

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten

• 1 3/4 cup milk (or 1 1/2 cups milk plus 1/4 cup plain yogurt)

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 4 cups old-fashioned oats

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1 Tbs baking powder

• 1 Tbs cinnamon

Directions:

1. Whisk together eggs, milk and oil in a large bowl.

2. Combine oats, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon, whisking to avoid clumps.

3. Combine the wet ingredients together with the dry ingredients, pour into a slightly greased baking pan (9×13).

4. Let sit while oven preheats to 350 degrees.

5. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes total, stir the mixture at least twice, at about 15 and 25 minutes of cooking time.

6. Top as desired and enjoy!