I grew up on oatmeal, and love it prepared pretty much any way, but baked is best.
Mechanic
2 cups oats to 1½ cups milk to 2 eggs is the ratio that gives you a result creamy in the middle and firm enough to slice. Less milk makes it denser; more makes it spoonable. The butter matters: without some fat, the texture turns rubbery. Fruit goes on top rather than stirred in so it steams and softens while the oat base sets underneath.
Ingredients
- ½ cup pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
- 180 g rolled oats (2 cups)
- 1½ cups milk
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup mashed ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen fruit
Method
Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 20 cm or 23 cm (8 or 9 inch) square baking dish. Spread the nuts on a dry baking sheet and toast 4–5 minutes while the oven heats. Set aside.
Whisk together the milk, eggs, maple syrup, butter, banana, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the oats and three-quarters of the nuts. Pour into the prepared dish and smooth into an even layer. Scatter the fruit and remaining nuts over the top.
Bake 38–42 minutes, until the top is golden and the centre is just set; a slight wobble is fine. Rest 10 minutes before serving; the middle firms as it cools.
To serve
Warm, with plain yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Variations
Blueberry banana
Use 150 g blueberries (1 cup) and 1 banana, sliced, as the fruit. Pecans on top.
Apple cinnamon
Peel and dice 2 medium apples into ½ cm pieces. Add a pinch of nutmeg to the wet mix. Walnuts on top.
Pumpkin chocolate chip
Replace the mashed banana with ¼ cup pumpkin purée. Fold ½ cup chocolate chips into the oat mix instead of topping with fruit. Add ½ teaspoon each nutmeg and ginger to the wet mix.
PB banana
Skip the topping fruit. Press 1 sliced banana across the top before baking. After baking, warm 2 tablespoons peanut butter until pourable and drizzle over.
Notes
- Mix and bake immediately. Oats absorb liquid fast; batter left to sit produces a dry, uneven result.
- For gluten-free, use oats labelled gluten-free. Regular oats are often processed alongside wheat.
- Keeps refrigerated 5 days.
- Frozen fruit works straight from the bag. Add 3–5 minutes to the bake time.