I am always trying to think of ways to get my family out the door in the morning (on time) without sacrificing a healthy breakfast. That goal is what inspired this recipe. My daughter is an oatmeal addict, so on the weekends I make a batch of these and then during the week when we are running late (which is often lately…she must be growing because she keeps sleeping-in!) I grab a few of these and she eats them on the way to school.
As you can see from the picture above, the texture of these muffins is the same as thick oatmeal and not like a typical muffin.
INGREDIENTS – Makes 12
1 cup old fashioned oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats)
2 ½ cups water
½ cup applesauce (I used my crock pot applesauce)
1 tsp Frontier Natural Products Vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
4 stevia packets
1/3 cup oat bran
10 dried apricots, finely diced
3 dates, chopped
2/3 cup almond flour
coconut or grapeseed oil
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Preheat oven to 325°.
Place the oats, water, applesauce, vanilla, almond extract, stevia, and oat bran in a pot and cook until thick (about 5-10 minutes).
Add the apricots, dates, and almond flour. Mix well.
Turn off the heat and place the lid on the pot. Let sit covered for 10 minutes to thicken even more.
*** If you want the dates and apricots to be more firm, add them now vs. earlier ***
Grease muffin tins with oil. Scoop the oatmeal mixture into the muffin tins. Push down the top of the oatmeal so it is flat.
Bake for 40 minutes (turning half-way through bake time). Cool for 10 minutes and then place on racks to cool to room temperature.
Store the oatmeal in the fridge once cooled.
For a printable version of this recipe click here.