Baked Apple Cranberry Oatmeal

Hi, Everybody! It’s a cold, dark and rainy morning here in Maryland today… this is definitely my least favorite thing about winter. I’m ready for some sunshine and warmer weather, and so I’ve started counting down until the first day of spring… only 28 more days left! In the meantime, I’m trying to find new ways to cheer these dreary mornings up… and a good, warm breakfast always does the trick! I love this Baked Apple Cranberry Oatmeal, it’s sweet and creamy with a juicy tanginess from the tart apples and cranberries. And the cozy smell of cinnamon filling your kitchen as the oatmeal bakes is guaranteed to warm up even the coldest of mornings!

2 1/4 cups rolled oats

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 large egg

2 cups fat free milk

2 apples (like Granny Smith apples), diced

1/2 cup dried (or frozen) cranberries

1. Preheat your oven to 375 deg F, and prepare your baking dish (I used a 9inch round baking pan). Peel, core and dice your apples. In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.

2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, then add the diced apples and the cranberries and mix well. Pour the mixture into your greased baking dish and bake for 20 – 30 minutes (or until the edges begin to brown and pull away from the pan and the center no longer jiggles. *You can adjust the flavors to your taste of course – add more/less sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract.