This recipe was one of those lucky, spur-of-the-moment creations. We had some very ripe peaches that desperately needed to be used. However, there weren’t nearly enough to go into a pie or a crisp. Thus, Fruit-on-the-Bottom Baked Oatmeal was born of necessity.

 
In all honesty, I did not expect it to turn out. I shoved the pan into the oven and wondered if the fruit would finish cooking by the time the oatmeal was golden. To my surprise, I had created something utterly scrumptious. Warm fruit on the bottom, sweet, hearty oatmeal in the middle, crunchy almonds on top. The perfect breakfast treat for a chilly fall or cold winter morning. Served with good vanilla ice cream, this could easily be a dessert.

Here’s what you’ll need: fruit of choice (apples, pears, and peaches are good choices), whole milk, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla extract, butter, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sweetener of choice (I like maple sugar or demerara), and sliced almonds.

Peel and slice your fruit. I love perfectly ripe peaches. Pour 1/4 cup butter into the bottom of a square baking dish. Arrange the fruit on the bottom. Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together milk, maple syrup, eggs, remaining butter and vanilla extract. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix very well. Pour over the fruit and smooth the top.

Sprinkle some almonds on top.

Sprinkle the almonds with a couple tablespoons of sugar.

Bake at 350° F for 40-50 minutes or until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbly. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Don’t you want to dig in? But wait. It gets better:

Serve with heavy whipping cream, milk, or (my personal favorite) a vanilla sauce.

Delicious.

Notes: You can customize this recipe in many ways. Use pecans or walnuts instead of almonds. Use almond extract instead of vanilla. Switch up the fruit. Pears are wonderful. If using apples, make sure to slice them very thinly or they will be crunchy. I have never tried berries, but I’m sure they’d be splendid.

 
Here is the printable version of the recipe: Fruit-on-the-Bottom Baked Oatmeal

 
 
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Erica Berge shares her wonderful recipes and amazing food photography on her blog, Cooking for Seven. She also writes about crafts and posts more of her beautiful photography in her personal blog, EricaLea.com. There really isn’t much that this amazing young lady can’t do, and we’re thrilled she does some of it here.