Apple Crumble Baked Oatmeal

I love oatmeal. I eat it for breakfast almost every morning. What I don't love is standing at the stove stirring for ages and scrubbing scalded milk off the bottom of a pan. This is where baked oatmeal comes into play. It requires about 5 minutes of prep work, and then it's hands off. You can pop it in the oven then hop in the shower or go about doing whatever it is you do in the morning. I try to eat "real" breakfasts every morning, so hands-off, quick recipes are essential.

I mean, just look at that beauty. It's gorgeous. The top is crispy and crunchy, like an apple crumble, and the bottom is ooey-gooey with baked apples and oatmeal and cinnamon. I make some versions of my baked oatmeal the night before to save time in the morning, but I probably wouldn't do that with this version. Nobody likes brown apples! You could, however, mix all the ingredients together EXCEPT the apple the night before and then chop the apples and put it in the ramekin in the morning. This oatmeal could make anyone a believer in a nice, hot breakfast on a weekday morning. Just try it, and you'll be a believer too.

Apple Crumble Baked Oatmeal 

Serves 1 

Calories: 255, if you eat the rest of the apple while the oatmeal is baking. (Highly recommended, as apples go brown quickly and this recipe doesn't use the whole apple. Can't be wasteful!)

1/2 c. old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 c. + a tiny splash more unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 tbsp REAL maple syrup (don't go using any of that fake stuff here!)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (again, none of that imitation stuff)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

About 1/2 of a small apple, diced into cm sized pieces
tsp brown sugar

OPTIONAL
1-2 tbsp milled flax seed

1. Preheat oven to 380 degrees. 
2. Spray the inside of a small ramekin with non-stick spray. 
3. In a small bowl, combine oats, milk, maple syrup, spices, salt, and vanilla. (If you're looking for a little more fiber in your world, go ahead and add some flax here. If you add flax, you may want to add a splash more of almond milk.) 
4. Add the diced apple and combine. 
5. Pour the oatmeal mixture into the ramekin. If you want to, try to get most of the apples on the bottom and more of the oats on top. This will aid in a crunchy, oat-y top that will make you think you're eating a crumble dessert, not a healthy breakfast. 
6. Using your hands, sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the oatmeal. This will make the top extra crunchy and pretty. 
7. Pop the oatmeal in the oven for 20 minutes. After it's done cooking, turn on the broiler and let it sit under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until the top is crunchy and golden. 
8. Remove from oven. You're going to want to let this sit for a few minutes before digging in. It will be difficult, but I promise you'll be better for waiting.