Baked Oatmeal with Almonds and Dried Cherries

The inspiration for this recipe came from the wonderful blog The Nourished Kitchen. I changed the recipe considerably and the end result is a delicious oatmeal-like cake.

Make it once and have a slice every morning for a few days or serve it to a crowd at brunch. With some warm maple syrup and a dash of whipped cream it is really delicious! Perfect for winter weekend mornings.

You can use any dried fruit and nut combination. A few suggestions are apricots and pistachios, dried plums, apples and pecans, raisins or currants or cranberries and walnuts. Regardless of the combination you choose, it is delicious.

Baked Oatmeal (inspired by the Nourished Kitchen)
This recipe is easily doubled but this serves 6 for breakfast.

1/2 lb. rolled oats (she uses steel cut but I loved using rolled)
2 Tbsp. buttermilk or yogurt
1/2 cup whole chia seeds (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste, or 2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 /2 cup brown sugar or maple syrup
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup almonds
butter or non-stick spray for the baking dish

Place oats into a large bowl and pour on enough water to just cover them. Stir in the buttermilk or yogurt and add a dash of sea salt. Let sit overnight (8 hours to 12 hours is fine).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place oats in a colander and and push out any excess water. Transfer oats to a large bowl.

Butter a small square (9×9-inch) or rectangular baking dish, like one you would use for brownies. Beat together the milk, eggs and vanilla and brown sugar or maple syrup. Sprinkle the chia seeds and cinnamon into the drained oats. Add dried fruit and nuts then stir in the milk/egg mixture.

Pour into the baking dish and cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Pour warmed maple syrup and a dollop of freshly whipped cream and tuck in.