Baked Apple Oatmeal with Homemade Applesauce

I had a great time co-hosting my friend's baby shower last weekend. My friend Carrie is having her first baby girl in a few weeks, and we threw her a baby shower brunch on Saturday. I made some baked pumpkin oatmeal and quiche lorraine for the brunch. For dessert, I made some pretzel M & M treats and dark chocolate and white chocolate covered pumpkin truffles. My friend Emma also made an amazing cookies and cream sheet cake for the shower - the frosting was to die for. It was so much fun & we're all so excited for Carrie!

Since we all loved the baked pumpkin oatmeal so much, I decided that I wanted to try out another baked oatmeal recipe. For Sunday breakfast, I made this delicious baked apple oatmeal for me and Greg. The original recipe calls for jarred applesauce, but since I didn't have any on hand, I decided to make some homemade applesauce. The baked apple oatmeal was quite tasty. Greg loves the baked pumpkin oatmeal, but he said he liked the apple one even better. The apple oatmeal really tastes like fall because of the combo of apples and cinnamon. Greg and I ate the oatmeal for dinner a couple times this week since we liked it so much, and I can't wait to make it again! Enjoy.

Recipes for quiche lorraine (with bacon) and pumpkin truffles will be coming soon!

Recipe for Baked Apple Oatmeal with Homemade Applesauce 

For the applesauce 
2 - 3 apples (any kind), peeled, cored, & chopped coarsely
3/4 cup of water
1 1/2 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
DIRECTIONS: Put the chopped apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cover the saucepan and let the mixture cook for about 15 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Remove the pan from heat and allow the mixture to cool, then mash the apples with a potato masher until they are at your desired consistency.
The applesauce can be made the night before you make the oatmeal. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.

For the caramelized apples
2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
3 - 4 apples (any kind), peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
3 Tbsp. of light or dark brown sugar
DIRECTIONS: Put the butter in a large skillet and melt it over medium heat. Once it has melted, add the apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are caramelized (about 15 minutes). Remove mixture from heat and set aside.

For the oatmeal 

1 cup of steel cut oats
2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
4 cups of very hot water
3 cups of old-fashioned oats (such as Quaker oats)
2/3 cup of light or dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 tsp. of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of nutmeg
1/4 cup of raisins
2/3 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup of whole milk (or 2% or 1%)
1/3 - 1/2 cup of the homemade applesauce
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
2 tsp. of vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

While the apples are caramelizing, put the steel cut oats and unsalted butter in a large bowl. Pour the very hot water over the oats and butter, and cover the bowl. Let sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add in the old-fashioned oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, and walnuts. Stir mixture together and mix well.

In a smallish bowl, mix together the milk, homemade applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add it into the oatmeal mixture and stir.

Spread the caramelized apples evenly over the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Pour the oatmeal mixture over the apples. Bake the oatmeal for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving. Drizzle each serving with a little bit of milk or cream, if desired.

Baked Apple Oatmeal Recipe Adapted from: Annie's Eats

Homemade Applesauce Recipe Source: All Recipes

That's Carrie in the background! My friend Tiffany did those adorable decorations.
 Carrie is having a baby girl named Aspen - so cute!