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.
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Description
A delicious breakfast treat composed of fruit on the bottom, oatmeal in the middle, and crunchy nuts on top.
Ingredients
- ¾ cups Butter, Divided
- 1-½ cup Thinly Sliced Fruit
- 4 Tablespoons Demerara Sugar Or Sucanat, Divided
- ½ cups Whole Milk
- ⅔ cups Pure Maple Syrup
- 2 whole Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 2-½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- ⅓ cups Sliced Almonds
Preparation Instructions
*Peaches, pears and apples are good choices. If using apples, make sure to slice them thinly or they will be crunchy.
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Melt butter; pour 1/4 cup into the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish. Arrange sliced fruit on top of the butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons demerara. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together milk, maple syrup, eggs, remaining 1/2 cup butter and vanilla.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour over the fruit and smooth the top. Sprinkle with almonds and remaining 2 tablespoons demerara.
4. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes, or until browned on top and fruit is bubbly. Allow to cool slightly. Serve with milk, cream or vanilla sauce.
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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.
36 Comments
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Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef on 9.4.2010
i love baked oatmeal. i worked at a summer camp for 2 yrs and we had baked oatmeal every week. i’ve never had it with fruit. mmm sounds amazing!
Kathy on 9.4.2010
Oh my gosh…this was to die for. I ate almost half the pan for breakfast by myself. Then had more for dessert! Great ..i just saw the recipe for the Vanilla sauce…more calories to add to my weekly intake!
Jennifer Jo on 9.3.2010
I will be making this (with pears) for tomorrow’s breakfast.
nerdycool on 9.2.2010
It finally got cool enough here to actually want something hearty like this! I think this is what I’ll be doing tonight, and I have 2 nectarines that are begging to be eaten!
The recipe for the vanilla sauce is:
* 2 tablespoons maple syrup
* 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups whole milk
* 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
* 2 tablespoons butter, softened
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1) Blend maple syrup, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Combine milk and egg yolks. Gradually stir into sugar mixture.
2) Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm […]
At least I assume this is the recipe for it. It was in with her recipe called “Eve’s Pudding” on her site.
Heidi on 9.2.2010
Do you have a recipe for the Vanilla Sauce you mentioned? I’d love to try it. Thanks!
flamegoddess65 on 9.1.2010
I have to try this and bring it to my mom, she’ll go nuts over it! It sounds perfect for when you want oatmeal but you’re tired of the same old toppings, etc.
heather on 9.1.2010
So as promised I did make this last night. I had it for breakfast today…I would use less butter next time and I also used sugar free maple syrup and it still has a nice flavor to it!
Carrie on 9.1.2010
Will you please share the recipe for the vanilla sauce that you mentioned? Can’t wait to make this
Laura on 8.31.2010
How funny! I just made an almost identical recipe this weekend, too. I’ve had it hanging around my recipe file for a few years and finally tried it. It was incredible!! The only real difference was the fruit – I used blueberries, peaches, & apples. Next time, I’m going to add some walnuts or almonds, substitute applesauce for some of the butter, & maybe add a little flaxseed for good measure.
PlanoSheila on 8.31.2010
This looks amazing! And I have every single one of these ingredients handy too. It’s meant to be!!! I’m having it for breakfast!
Ann on 8.31.2010
I made this with apples last night as soon as I read the blog – it was delicious. I left out the 1/2 c. butter and used quick cooking oats too and it didn’t seem to affect the tastiness!
klaura on 8.31.2010
Oh my stars and garters. Made this this morning with blueberries (it was blueberries or grapefruit (!)) and it was INCREDIBLE INCREDIBLE INCREDIBLE. I’m going to cut the butter in half and only use egg whites next time. And maybe Splenda. It’s too delicious to have only infrequently! We’ll see how that goes.
Great holiday morning dish for a crowd — make it the night before and pop it into the oven upon rising.
Thanks for sharing!
Wrangler Mama on 8.31.2010
Mmmmmm baked oatmeal is a staple in my house. Everyone LOVES it.
Here’s my recipe…
http://wranglermama.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/here-it-is-the-baked-oatmeal-recipe/
it’s not so different, though I just mix everything together. I’m going to have to try it your way too! That looks so good!
Jan commented on 8.31.10` on 8.31.2010
mmm mmm I have all the ingredients even fresh peaches. I’m haven it tomorrow I tell you. Tomorrow is Farmers Market day so I might go to the Market get some more peaches and have again on Thursday. Yum Yum Thanks for all the GREAT recipes.
Twinks on 8.31.2010
I’ve never baked oatmeal but it sounds yummy and peaches are just so perfect right now at the farmer’s market. I want to eat them in everything. Thanks for the recipe!
Heather on 8.31.2010
I’m so making this today for this weeks breakfast/snack
Chelli on 8.30.2010
You answered a prayer I sent up just this evening! My sweet neighbor lady brought me beautiful fresh peaches! My family is not big on eating peaches (fools!) and I wondered “what could I make with them?” Viola! Thanks so much! I’ll get to this tomorrow!!
tom | tall clover farm on 8.30.2010
That is one mighty fine baked good, worthy of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Molly @ The Creative Maven on 8.30.2010
Oh wow… I have a bag of ripe peaches on my counter right now… I’m so doing this in the morning!!
Erica Lea on 8.30.2010
Diana: It would probably work to par-bake it, but I’m not sure how much time it would save. I find it takes quite a while to reheat something from the refrigerator. If you try it, let me know if it works! I think I’ve only ever used fresh fruit. Frozen may work, but it may be wise the thaw & drain it first. Experiment!
Sarah on 8.30.2010
Mmmmmmmmmmm! I can’t wait to try it!
Diana on 8.30.2010
This looks wonderful! I wonder how I can make it quicker to fix in the morning. Think it can be par-baked, stuck in the fridge, then finished up in 10 minutes in the morning? That would be so ideal! I’d love something yummy like this for our fast moving mornings! (And what about frozen fruit. Think that would work?)
Erica Lea on 8.30.2010
Thank you everyone for your very kind words.
Diane: It would probably be fine to substitute maple flavored syrup, though the taste would be much different.
Tracy: I’m not sure about corn syrup, but it would probably be fine to substitute sugar or brown sugar for the maple syrup in the topping. You might want add a little more milk or decrease the baking time.
Jennifer on 8.30.2010
That photo demonstration looked so wonderful I felt like I could taste it! I am totally going to try this – it looks fabulous!
Thank you!
Sandy a la Mode on 8.30.2010
fruity! delicious! healthy! what a PERFECT breakfast recipe to last a few days!!
Jenna on 8.30.2010
Wow! Looks super, super, super delicious.
Crystal's Cozy Kitchen on 8.30.2010
Sounds delicious (and looks spectacular)! Makes me want it to be colder outside so I’d really enjoy a warm breakfast!
Tracy on 8.30.2010
This sounds great, but I don’t like to use maple syrup as a sweetener (I don’t care for the taste unless it’s on pancakes or French toast). If I want to substitute, should I use corn syrup, or sugar?
Diane on 8.30.2010
I’ll be doubling or tripling this recipe…can I substitute “maple flavored” syrup? Believe me, I know the advantages to the real stuff but my budget would appreciate the modification.
Emily S on 8.30.2010
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times and it’s a family favorite now. We like it best with apples but have tried it with peaches too. Thanks again for a yummy breakfast recipe.
Ruth Hill on 8.30.2010
All right! I didn’t know what to fix for dinner tonight, so yes! This is what we are going to have. Thanks!
trickycrayon on 8.30.2010
Awesome! I’m an old-fashioned oats girl myself, and I’m always disappointed when I see oatmeal recipes because they often involve quick oats. I’ll definitely try this with some of my mother’s peaches!
Heather (Heather's Dish) on 8.30.2010
what a fabulous idea for breakfast! i’ve never thought of/heard of fruit baked on the bottom, but it sounds amazing!
Tabitha (FromSingletoMarried) on 8.30.2010
This looks amazing! Of course anything with heavy cream is going to be amazing.
carolyn on 8.30.2010
Time to make ‘breakfast’ !!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is on 8.30.2010
I have oatmeal a few times a week but have never added heavy cream to it… I’m sure that is just so creamy and wonderful!