If you haven’t tried baked oats yet, it’s time to change that. I started making them as a quick and easy breakfast – something to grab on the way out of the door on those busy mornings – but they’ve morphed into an any time of day, any meal, regular.
Mid morning snack? Baked oats! Need something for the baby’s lunch box? Baked oats! Supper? Baked oats!
The amazing thing about them is that they are so incredibly versatile. There are so many flavour combinations you could do (my husband is particularly keen on trying a ‘Snickers’ version made with peanut butter and Nutella…watch this space). You could even go savoury – my mind is going to ricotta, nutmeg, spinach (again, watch this space…)
This particular combination, with cherries, pecans and dark chocolate, feels grown up – though the baby still loves it – and luxurious. But it’s so easy. The dark chocolate adds a little sweetness which makes it feel like a ‘treat’, without having to add a load of extra chocolate.
Pecans are one of my favourite nuts which is why I included them here, but you could easily swap them for almonds to make a kind of Bakewell tart version. Yum. I’m going to try that.
Anyway, to the baked oats. These are genuinely the easiest kind of baking you could do. You literally just put it all in a baking dish and put it in the oven, after a little stir. I do have a couple of tips for you though:
1. You might need to adjust quantities
Don’t panic! It’s not as tricky as it might sound. Depending on the oats you use, you might need more or less milk than I’ve suggested here. I suggest one to one. My advice is to add slightly less than suggested and stir – you’ll want the consistency to be as shown in the video below. If it’s not there yet, add a little more until you get there.
2. This is a no banana recipe – but you can add one
Many baked oats recipes have banana as a key ingredient. I haven’t included any here just because I find banana quite a strong flavour and I didn’t want it overpowering the other lovely ingredients. You can include banana, mash it and mix it in with the oats.
3. You can blend the oats
If you whizz the oats up to a powder, you’ll end up with a lighter, cakier version. My version is more like a traditional oat bar.
4. I used frozen fruit but you don’t have to
You could use fresh cherries instead – the results will be similar- or you could even use dried fruit. That would work beautifully too.
Let’s get to it! This recipe with take approximately 45 minutes and makes 6 servings.
Cherry, Pecan and Dark Chocolate Baked Oats
Save This RecipeIngredients
- 250 g porridge oats
- 250 ml milk any kind will do!
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 50 g frozen dark sweet cherries destoned
- 50 g dark chocolate chips
- 50 g pecans roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Pour the oats into a medium oven proof dish. They should come to about halfway up the sides.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (apart from the milk) and mix.
- Pour in the milk, a little at a time. It should reach the consistency in the video below. If you need to add more (or less) than specified, do.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Eat either hot or cold. Pro tip – they are AMAZING hot with ice cream!
Cherry, Pecan and Dark Chocolate Baked Oats
250g porridge oats
250ml milk (any kind will do!)
1 tsp baking powder
50g frozen dark sweet cherries, destoned
50g dark chocolate chips
50g pecans, roughly chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Pour the oats into a medium oven proof dish. They should come to about halfway up the sides.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (apart from the milk) and mix.
4. Pour in the milk, a little at a time. It should reach the consistency in the video below. If you need to add more (or less) than specified, do.
5. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
6. Eat either hot or cold. Pro tip – they are AMAZING hot with ice cream!
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