Overnight Crunchy Top Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

I am always experimenting with and tweaking my recipes and baked oatmeal is no exception! Recently, I began adding two tablespoons of steel cut oats to the batter. The recipe is delicious without, but if you have these oats on hand and like a bit more "texture" to your food, you could give it a try!

Yields 6-8 servings.

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup melted Smart Balance Original Buttery Spread (butter or coconut oil may be substituted)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (keep a pack of the individual serving cups on hand–they are the perfect size)
1 small apple, grated (fine to leave skin on)
1 1/4 cups milk (I use non-fat, any kind would work)
3 cups old-fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free oats if necessary)
1/3 cup brown sugar

Combine all ingredients except the oats and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add oats and mix well.
Transfer mixture to a buttered baking dish. (You may use a 9-inch pie plate or an 9-inch square pan–or really any 2-quart baking dish–depending on how thick you would like your oatmeal. A 10-inch cast iron skillet works well, too.) Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.
When ready to bake, let the baking dish sit on the counter while the oven pre-heats to 375 degrees. Uncover the oatmeal and bake for 27-30 minutes or until just firm in the center. Remove oatmeal from oven, set oven to broil, and sprinkle brown sugar over top of oatmeal. Broil for a minute, watching very closely, or until the topping is melted and lightly browned.
May serve with warmed milk, slivered almonds, chopped walnuts or pecans, and sliced bananas, if desired. My kids eat it plain, like a muffin; I load it up. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator. May reheat gently in the microwave.

You may also make the baked oatmeal as muffins. When doing this, I refrigerate the uncooked oatmeal in the mixing bowl then transfer to the muffin tin once the liquid has been absorbed by the oats. I get 8 regular muffins or 6 jumbo and bake for approximately 20 minutes. (Because of the wider proportions of my jumbo tin, those muffins bake in the same amount of time as the muffins baked in my regular tin. Just peek a little early until you know the exact time for your oven.)
If you use melted butter or coconut oil in this recipe, it is helpful to have the ingredients come to room temperature before mixing, That way, the butter or oil will not re-harden when it comes into contact with the cold ingredients.