I thought I could invent a “pecan pie” oatmeal for Thanksgiving. I used 50/50 brown sugar and maple syrup and topped it with candied pecans. Roasting the pecans in the oven first adds tremendous depth of flavor.
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.
To make candied pecans, just cook the roasted pecans with a bit of maple syrup in a saucepan for a minute. The maple syrup will eventually turn sticky, and there won’t be any liquid left in the pan.
Maple Pecan Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup liquid egg white
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 cups milk of your choice
- 2½ cups uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup toasted pecan halves (divided use)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Toast the pecans:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper (or lightly spray some aluminum foil with nonstick spray)
- Arrange the pecan halves on the prepared baking sheet and put them in the hot oven for 8 minutes.
- Leave ½ cup of the toasted pecans whole. Finely chop the other ½ cup of pecans.
Make the oatmeal:
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, brown sugar, and ¼ cup maple syrup.
- Whisk in the egg and egg whites
- Whisk in the cinnamon, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract.
- Stir in the milk
- Stir in the rolled oats
- Stir in the ½ cup of chopped pecans
- Pour the oatmeal mixture into the pan and bake for about 45 minutes. The oatmeal is done when the edges are lightly browned and a knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Make the candied pecan topping:
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat.
- Add the ½ cup of whole toasted pecans and 1 tablespoon maple syrup to the skillet. Stir it around with a spatula for about 2 minutes, until most of the maple syrup has been absorbed
- When the baked oatmeal comes out of the oven, arrange the candied pecan halves on top.
