Start your morning with a warm, comforting bowl of Apple Pie Oatmeal that tastes just like the real thing. Finally, you can have dessert for breakfast! Ready in just 10 minutes, these are perfect to share or save and reheat for another morning.
I’m a longstanding member of the breakfast club, and sometimes even have it again for dinner. Some might say that’s blasphemy, but I think we’ve shifted away from the rigidity of ‘breakfast foods.’ Now, menus run the gamut from pancakes and toast to soup and salad. I’m all for more options, but if we’re being honest, my absolute favorite is oatmeal.
On a Sunday last year, my mom, aunt, and I went to visit my Zaidie for breakfast. His bowl of oatmeal in front of him, he proceeded to douse it in cinnamon. All I could think while I watched was “so that’s where I get it from!” Like Zaidie like granddaughter, right? Keeping the tradition alive, one bowl at a time.
Whenever people ask what I like to cook most, they’re always surprised when I say oatmeal. It’s true, though. Nothing truly stands up to the comfort of a bowl of old-fashioned oats any time of day. You can have them hot or cold, savory or sweet. I can never get enough, so it’s no surprise that there are so many oat recipes around these parts.
They’re far from the tasteless mush many people imagine, suitable for babies and the elderly but out of place anywhere in between. Oats are the little black dress of the food chain– simple when left on their own, yet easily dressed to the nines with the right accessories.
We used to stock the pantry with flavored oatmeal packets, the kind where you “just add water!” Tasteless, no. Convenient, yes. Healthy, not as much. Before I was aware of that, I always went for the apple cinnamon kind, because it felt a little bit like I was eating pie for breakfast. What kid wouldn’t want to be so daring first thing in the morning?
Little did I know how easy it would be to make Apple Pie Oatmeal that tastes even more like the real thing, putting a good-for-you twist on dessert tradition.
I find that old-fashioned, or rolled, oats are the perfect middle ground. They have more of the nutrients and heartier texture than the quick-cooking variety, but don’t take nearly as long to cook as steel cut. You can make this in the microwave, although I wouldn’t recommend it if you want that fantastically fluffy feel. Apple Pie Oatmeal deserves to be fantastic.
And it’s really not difficult at all. Put everything into a pot, stir it every once in a while, maybe while you brush your teeth if you’re feeling pressed for time, and then voila. Breakfast in 10.
My Zaidie and I are accepting more members into the cinnamon oatmeal club, in case you were wondering, so don’t forget the extra sprinkle at the end!
If you try this recipe, I’d love your feedback. Leave a comment below, save it on Pinterest, or tag #lensesandlentils on Instagram so that I can see your creations!
- ⅔ cups rolled oats
- 1-2 dates, chopped
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp cardamom
- ⅛ tsp allspice
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- pinch sea salt
- 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk, or milk of choice
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- OPTIONAL: honey for drizzling
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small pot, then pour in the milk and vanilla extract.
- Cook over a medium-low flame for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until oatmeal is desired consistency. For thicker oats, cook longer.
- Divide between 2 bowls. If desired, sprinkle with extra cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.
*TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE: make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
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