Yes, I figured out how to make a legit Christmas pudding in baked-oatmeal format! What is Christmas pudding, you ask? It’s a boiled pudding made of raisins, currants, apples and candied orange peel traditionally served as a Christmas dessert in the British Isles.
Since I come from a super-British family, this has always been our go-to Christmas dessert. The most exciting part of it is dousing the Christmas pudding with brandy and setting it on fire! I didn’t douse my baked oatmeal in brandy, but I did create a lightly brandy-flavored glaze for authentic flavor.
Candied orange peel is a crucial ingredient in authentic Christmas pudding. I thought candied orange peel was too sugary, so I swapped it for orange zest and orange juice instead. The citrus flavor is still there, without all the extra sugar.
Baked oatmeal is my favorite breakfast because it’s convenient, filling, and easy to meal prep. I wouldn’t bother eating a relatively-wholesome breakfast if hadn’t already prepared it, ready to go first thing in the morning.
I don’t ever reheat this — I just grab it from the fridge and eat it cold. You, however, can reheat this if you want. I suspect that baked oatmeal reheats particularly well.
If you like this holiday-inspired baked oatmeal recipe, you might also enjoy:
- Chocolate Orange Baked Oatmeal
- Snickerdoodle Latte Baked Oatmeal
- Peppermint Brownie Baked Oatmeal
- Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal
Christmas Pudding Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoon orange zest (about 1 orange's worth)
- ½ cup orange juice (about 1 orange's worth)
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup liquid egg whites
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk of your choice
- 2½ cups uncooked old fashioned oats
- 2 apples (peeled and chopped)
- 1 cup dried currants
- ½ cup raisins
Brandy Glaze (optional)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk of your choice
- ½ teaspoon brandy
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Lightly spritz a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Peel and chop 2 apples. I used honeycrisp apples, but any type of crunchy apple will do.
- Zest and juice 1 orange.
- Whisk together the applesauce, brown sugar, orange zest and orange juice.
- Use the whisk to beat in the egg and egg whites.
- Whisk in the melted butter, baking powder, spices and salt.
- Stir in the milk
- Stir in the oats
- Stir in the chopped apples, currants and raisins.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 375 °F for 45 minutes. The oatmeal is done when the edges are golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the oatmeal comes out clean.
