I recently discovered that if I froze leftover muffins, waffles, and pancakes and then took them out of the freezer on a busy weekday morning and popped them in the microwave for a few seconds, they were just as good as the day I made them! I realize this is not a new concept, but it’s new to me =). It works out perfect for me because most muffin recipes make at least 6 muffins and since there are only two of us, I always have 3-4 left to freeze and reheat later. I saw a recipe for individual baked oatmeal and thought I’d see if they reheated as good as muffins…and they did! And what I really liked about these individual baked oatmeal cups is that you can top each one with a different topping to keep from getting bored in the mornings =). The actual oatmeal part is not very sweet, but since I topped mine with dried fruits and chocolate chips it was the perfect sweetness for me. Since they’re almost fat-free and have only minimal sugar it’s a great healthy breakfast. Enjoy!
Individual Baked Oatmeal
1 egg
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cup low-fat or fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
desired toppings (such as chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, coconut, granola, dried fruits, nuts, etc.)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 12-14 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine egg, applesauce, buttermilk, honey and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Stir in oats, flaxseed, baking powder and salt until fully combined.
3. Divide mixture evenly between prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin cup with 1/2 to 1 tbsp desired toppings. (Alternatively, if you only want to make one or two kinds you could divide the batter and stir the toppings into the batter – either way.) Bake for 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Notes:
1. I like to individually wrap each oatmeal cup in plastic wrap and then place them in a ziploc bag before placing them in the freezer to prevent freezer burn.
2. It only takes about 20 seconds to reheat in my microwave.
