I don’t know about where you live, but here in the Midwest people often express their love through food. Having a gathering of some sort? The number one question you’ll get after the date is, “What can I bring?” Did a loved one pass? Best clean out your fridge because you’ll get enough casseroles to last a few weeks. Have a new baby? Congrats! Here’s a full three-course meal so you don’t have to worry about cooking.

It’s truly awesome, and one of the things I love most about the people that live here. It also completely confused my husband and in-laws when they first moved to the U.S. Things work the exact opposite in The Netherlands; the people hosting, having the baby, etc. are the ones that also supply all of the food. It’s kind of a reverse mindset…instead of “Hey, I’m happy/sad for you, let me feed you to make things easier!,” it’s “Hey, I’m happy/sad and want to celebrate/commemorate by feeding my friends and neighbors!” Both are great in their own ways.

This Baked Blueberry Oatmeal was a case of a Midwesterner showing us their love. After our youngest VandeLittle made her earlier-than-planned appearance, or sweet neighbor dropped off enough food to get us through a whole day (bless her!), and this oatmeal was our breakfast. We ended up sticking it in the freezer for a couple of weeks, and man was I happy to have it when I needed it! All of us (well…at least all of us that were eating solids anyway…) absolutely loved it, and I’ve made it many times since!

Looking for more great breakfast or brunch ideas? Try one of these!
–Smoked Salmon Flatbread
–Fruit and Yogurt Dream
–Ham and Cheese Quiche from The Farmwife Cooks
–Blueberry French Toast Casserole from The Farmwife Cooks

Ingredients Needed for Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

• Eggs
• Oil – I use vegetable oil because that’s what I’ve always got on hand. Use whatever you prefer, as long as it’s very mild in flavor. In other words, no olive oil!
• Granulated Sugar
• Chopped Nuts – Use what you like. I usually use pecans and almonds.
• Milk
• Brown Sugar
• Salt
• Baking Powder
• Butter
• Vanilla
• Almond Extract – Optional. I usually leave this out.
• Sliced Almonds
• Old Fashioned Oats – Do not use instant here!
• Blueberries

Tips for Making Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

-Don’t like almonds? No worries! Leave them out and use a nut you do like. I personally prefer to top this oatmeal with chopped pecans.

-If you don’t use almonds, leave out the almond extract. I like to add 1 tsp of cinnamon instead.

-Change up the fruit if you want. Try apples or maybe raspberries!

-We like this Baked Blueberry Oatmeal topped with maple syrup. You could also try it topped with honey, or even with a side of vanilla yogurt!

-This oatmeal freezes really well. Use a foil pan for easy clean-up. Prepare all of your ingredients as directed, but freeze before baking. Then pull it out of the freezer the night before you want it to let it thaw, and bake as directed!

How to Make Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.

In small skillet, melt the butter and toast the almonds until they are lightly browned, being careful not to burn them. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and granulated sugar. Stir in the oatmeal, baking powder, salt, vanilla, almond extract, milk, and nuts. Gently stir in the blueberries.

Pour the mixture into the greased pan. Top with the toasted almonds then the brown sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden.

Serve topped with maple syrup!

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Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

This easy, healthy Baked Blueberry Oatmeal is a great make-ahead breakfast idea! It even works well as a freezer meal!

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword almonds, blueberries, freezer food, healthy breakfast, Make Ahead, oatmeal

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Author Meagan – The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1/2 C Sliced Almonds
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Eggs
• 2/3 C Oil, such as vegetable
• 2/3 C Granulated Sugar
• 1 C Chopped Nuts
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 C Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Almond Extract
• 4 C Old Fashioned Oats
• 1.2 C Brown Sugar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
• In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the sliced almonds and toast them until they are lightly browned, being careful not to burn them. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and granulated sugar. Stir in the oatmeal, baking powder, salt, milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Add the chopped nuts. Carefully stir in the blueberries.
• Pour the oatmeal mixture into the greased baking pan. Top with the toasted sliced almonds and the brown sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
• If desired, serve topped with maple syrup, honey, or vanilla yogurt.

The post Baked Blueberry Oatmeal appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

I do love me a good oatmeal cookie. There’s some sort of amazing magic that happens when you add oatmeal to a cookie batter; I don’t know if it’s the texture, the flavor, or what. It just seems to take cookies that already taste good to the next level. And, because of the oatmeal, they can be considered breakfast, right?

What I’m not crazy in love with, though, is white chocolate. I mean, it’s fine, it’s just a little sickly sweet for me I guess…at least in most recipes. When you combine that white chocolate with tangy dried cranberries and the magic that is oatmeal, however, now you’ve got a winner!

I started making these Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies when the Dutchie and I first started dating. I’ve always been one to show my love through cooking/baking, but I learned pretty quickly that he’s not much of a fan of regular chocolate chips. I don’t get it, but hey we’ve all got our thing, right? Anyway, I made it my mission to find a cookie that we both could love equally, and these bad boys were the answer!

Tips for Making Great Cookies:

-If the recipe calls for butter, made sure it is softened, not melted. It’s also a good idea to whip your butter a little bit in the bowl before adding the sugars.

-If you are using unsalted butter (I almost always do), make sure you don’t forget to add a little salt to your batter! Using salted butter? Then you may not need to add extra, depending on the saltiness of your butter. I always taste a “bit” of my batter to see if I need to add any/more salt, but of course I can’t really recommend that you eat raw cookie dough (ahem), so you could always bake a single cookie and try it…

-When I’m cooking, I prefer to use kosher or sea salt, but when I’m baking I use just regular table salt. It just seems to blend in to batters and doughs more smoothly.

-ALWAYS use real vanilla extract; stay clear of the imitation stuff. Yes, you can taste the difference.

-If you are only using one or two cookie sheets, make sure you let them cool down between cookie batches. If you put cookie dough on a warm/hot cookie sheet, it’s going to start cooking on the bottom before you get it in the oven, and will be too crispy around the edges while taking longer to bake in the middle.

How to Make Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Start by whipping the softened butter. You can do with in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, in a large bowl with an electric mixer, or by hand. Once you’ve whipped the butter for a minute or so to get it softened up a little more, add in the sugars. Allow those to combine, then if you are using a mixer, stop and scrape down the sides (check the bottom, too!) of the bowl. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, then stir in the oats. Gradually add the flour/oat mixture to the butter/sugar mixture. Once everything is totally combined (you will probably need to scrape down the sides of your bowl again), gently gold in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Using either a tablespoon or small scoop, place balls of cookie dough on the sheets lined with parchment paper, making sure to leave some distance in between them so they can expand. If you use a scoop, just keep in mind that they won’t expand as much as they do when you just drop them on with a spoon. Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on your oven and how crispy you like your cookies. I like mine soft and chewy, and with my oven 10 minutes is the perfect amount of time. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

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Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Looking for the perfect cookie recipe for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or just any regular old weekday?  With their delicious flavor and red and white colors, these sweet and tangy Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies are where it’s at!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberries, Drop Cookies, Easy Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies, White Chocolate

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3 Dozen, approx.

Author Meagan - The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Softened Butter
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 Cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
• 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Dried Cranberries
• 1 Cup White Chocolate Chips

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In a stand mixer, or in a bowl using an electric mixer or by hand, whip the softened butter for about a minute. Add in the sugars and combine. Stop the mixer and scrap down the sides, then add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the oatmeal.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, making sure to scrape the side of the bowl after adding the last of the dry.
• Fold in the white chocolate chips and cranberries until they are evenly distributed.
• Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, drop balls of cookie dough onto the baking sheets. Bake for 9-12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

The post Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.