Baked Oatmeal

One of the goals here at EmergencyFoodSupply.org is to make tasty recipes that will teach newbies how to use their food storage or help experienced preppers add variety and new ideas to their recipe box. 

I remember when I first started learning about food storage and prepping – I had little ones and all they wanted to eat for breakfast was a bowl full of sweetened cereal.  I started storing boxes and boxes of their favorites and quickly learned that I was going to need a warehouse just to fill their needs for a year’s supply of breakfast.  We had to find a better solution to cereal, but they were not fans of boiled oatmeal, no matter how much honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar and cinnamon you put in it.  My mom sent me a recipe to experiment on them and the kids fell in love with it.  After making Baked Oatmeal that first time, we weren’t able to say goodbye to ALL the cereal in the house, but we were able to say goodbye to some of it and hello to more food in less space and the oats were healthier. 

Baked oatmeal is a basic recipe, packed full of goodness, which can be altered by just changing up fruits, nuts, spices, or grains that you add to it, making it almost as flexible as cold cereal and in the long run, much more nutrient rich as well.  Depending on what nuts and seeds you add, you can increase the healthy fats, proteins, fiber, and vitamins or minerals, making Baked Oatmeal the perfect recipe for long term use in an emergency situation.  The recipe will make enough to feed up to 8 people in a 13 X 9 X 2 pan, so if your family is smaller or you don’t have emergency cold storage leftovers, you can always opt to cut the recipe in half, but remember to cut your cooking time down a little as well. 

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Baked Oatmeal

4-6 Servings

- 3 Cups Rolled Quick Oats
- 1/3 cup sweetener (may add up to ¾ Cup for sweeter oatmeal):
                Honey Crystals, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar
                May also use Local Maple Syrup or Raw Honey (If using one of these, reduce
                water by 1/2 Cup and mix in with sweetener & vanilla)
- 8 tsp  Butter Powder (Or  1/2 Cup butter, melted; you may also use 1/3 Cup
                melted Coconut oil. If using melted fats, reduce water by 1/3 Cup)
- 4 TBSP Scrambled Egg Mix, and 4-6 TBSP water
- 6 TBSP Powdered Milk
- 2 tsp baking powder (may be omitted if you don’t have on hand, but makes the final
                 product lighter)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
 
- 2 1/3 Cups water
- 1 tsp Vanilla
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
 
Grease a 13 X 9X 2 pan.  I prefer to use butter for this (If using real butter, I actually take the pan, melt the 1/2 Cup butter right in it, then pour it into the bowl when it is time to add it. Reducing the number of dishes I have to wash!)

Mix all DRY ingredients well in a large bowl.  Add vanilla to water and drizzle over the oatmeal mixture in the bowl.  Mix until well combined, then pour into buttered pan, and spread well.  Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. This setting time makes it easier to cut and serve.  Serve with some syrup, honey, poached or fried eggs, or just plain.  Delicious no matter how you cut it!
 
For added fiber or variety you can add any of the following or a combination:
1/8-1/4 Cup Freshly ground flax seed (increases fiber, adds a slightly nutty flavor)
1/8 Cup ground Chia Seeds (Increases protein, omega-3s, minerals)      
Chopped Pecans, walnuts, or almonds (Add flavor, protein)
Shredded Coconut (Adds fiber and wonderful flavor!)
Chopped fruit:  Dry apples, apricots, or pears work well, but make sure to add the additional water to rehydrate during baking.
Change up the spices to taste like Pumpkin pie by adding a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice or a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and all spice.

NOTE: If adding flax and/or Chia seeds add a small amount of additional water to balance out the recipe so that it does not cook up too dry.  An extra 1/2  Cup is plenty. 

RECIPE PDF