A warm, comforting bowl of oatmeal laced with brown sugar and cream is a lovely way to start a winter day.
Oatmeal is a versatile ingredient to use in baked goods lending a chewy, nutty element to the finished product. Be sure to use regular (old-fashioned) or quick-cooking oats in these recipes, not the instant varieties. Steel-cut oats are also unsuitable for use in baked goods (but they make amazing hot oatmeal).
Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
½ cup butter, melted
and cooled
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries or blueberries (if using frozen, do not thaw before adding to batter)
Granulated sugar to sprinkle tops of muffins
In a large bowl, stir together the oats and buttermilk and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Preheat oven to 400° C. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
Add the brown sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla to the oatmeal mixture and stir to combine well. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to wet ingredients and stir until just barely combined, then gently fold in berries.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle a bit of granulated sugar on top of each one. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden and tops spring back when touched. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.
Caramel Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp vanilla
24 vanilla caramels, unwrapped
2 Tbsp milk
Preheat oven to 350° C. Mix dry ingredients together (flour through nutmeg) in a large bowl; add the butter and stir until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
Reserve 2¼ cups for the topping; add the pumpkin and vanilla to the remainder in the bowl and stir to combine well.
Press evenly into the bottom of a greased and parchment-lined 13x9-inch baking dish (leave a couple of inches of parchment hanging over the sides of the pan to use as handles when removing bars).
Microwave the caramels and milk together in a medium microwave-safe bowl on high for two to three minutes until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Remove from microwave and let stand for one minute, then pour over the pumpkin mixture in the pan, spreading evenly to within half an inch of the edges. Sprinkle reserved crumbs evenly over top and press down very lightly.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until light brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack, then lift out of pan with parchment paper and cut into bars. Makes about 24 bars.
Awesome Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1½ cups chocolate chips, raisins or dried cranberries (or a mixture)
Preheat oven to 350° C. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the two sugars; add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and stir to combine well, then stir in the oats.
Stir in the chocolate chips (or raisins or cranberries) until well distributed through the batter. Drop rounded tablespoons of batter two inches apart onto greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until cookies are golden around the edges. They should still look slightly uncooked in the centre (this is the secret to chewy cookies; they will firm up once they’ve cooled).
Let cookies cool on cookie sheets for a couple of minutes then remove to a wire rack. Makes about 60 cookies.
Angela Shellard is a self-described foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. Contact: [email protected].
