One of my favorite parts of fall (and you know I have many) is the abundance of crisp fresh apples. I’m admittedly a bit of an apple-holic, but they’re by far one of my favorite snacks, as evidenced in most of my What I Ate Wednesday posts.
My favorite apple? The pink lady. It’s always so crisp, sweet and slightly sour. After that I love fuji, honeycrisp, braeburn and honestly anything I pick myself at an orchard. I can’t wait to slip into a cozy sweater and go apple picking in a few weeks.
However, I’m super picky about my apples. If it’s slightly mushy, not refreshingly crisp I am bummed to say the least. Which is how this recipe came about. I had a series of mushy apples that weren’t right for snacking but could redeemed in baking.
Behold a breakfast feast (or you could have it for dessert, or lunch or hey why not dinner?) the apple cinnamon oatmeal bake. Each bite is like wearing a sweater for your tummy. Bonus: it’s both vegan and gluten free.
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bake
There’s nothing like waking up to the smell of an apple pie, but this cinnamon apple oatmeal bake comes pretty damn close. Each bite is like wearing a sweater for your tummy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
For Apples:
- 3 Medium Apples Chopped into 1” chunks
- ½ Lemon’s Juice
- ¼ Cup of Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp of Cinnamon
For Oatmeal:
- 2 Cups of Oats
- 1 Tbsp of Cinnamon
- ½ Tbsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ tsp of Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 Tbsp of Melted Coconut Oil
- 1⅓ Cup of Almond Milk
- 1 Mashed Banana (the more ripe, the sweeter)
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Agave or Maple Syrup
Optional Topping:
- ⅓ Cup of Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350(F) degrees
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking tray with non-stick (I use coconut oil spray)
- In a medium size bowl combine all the dry ingredients for the oatmeal (oats, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, baking powder and salt)
- Stir in wet ingredients (almond milk, mashed banana, vanilla extract and sweetener)
- Pour oatmeal mixture into baking dish and spread evenly (it will be runny)
- Put chopped apples in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice, maple syrup and cinnamon
- Evenly place apples on top of oatmeal mixture, pressing them in so they are slightly submerged
- Sprinkle with chopped pecans
- Bake for 20-25 minutes
- Serving Suggestions:
- Top with yogurt or coconut whipped cream
added a dollop of coconut whipped cream (vegan) and it definitely took it to the next level. This was my first time making coconut whipped cream and it’s such a game changer. Years ago, when I was more concerned about calories than ingredients I used to snack on cool-whip all the time. I could taste the chemicals, but I just liked how it had no fat. Fast forward to now and I’m no longer afraid of good fats like the ones from avocados, nuts, coconut and olive oil.
Although I’m not a full time vegan, I really love vegan food and experimenting with vegan recipes. This weekend I bought the Oh She Glows cookbook and I can’t wait to try some of her recipes.
To make Coconut Whipped Cream:
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of full fat coconut cream
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- 1 tbsp of sweetener (I used agave)
Directions
- combine all ingredients in a small bowl and beat using a hand mixer on high speed
- You can also use a magic bullet with the flat blade and whip for about 1-2 minutes, until desired consistency
Your Turn:
- Are you an apple fan too?
- What’s your favorite fall activity?