Baked Oatmeal

I have a really, really bad habit of not eating breakfast in the mornings. I know, I know...If I just got up 5 minutes earlier, I wouldn't be so rushed and then I wouldn't want to eat a horse by 10:30. But I like my sleep so I was hoping to find an alternative option.

I kept seeing baked oatmeal pop up on blogs but I wasn't sure if it was meant to be eaten in bar form or in a bowl. Erica answered that for me in her post and I decided to give it a shot!

INGREDIENTS:

2 c rolled oats

2 c milk (I used skim)

2 eggs

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

Pinch nutmeg

2 T honey

1/2 c dried cranberries

1/2 c chopped hazelnuts

1/3 c semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. (I had about a palmful of chocolate chips left in the bag so I just threw them in, hence the 1/3 c instead of 1/4 c like the original recipe.)

Pour into a greased square baking pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

VERDICT:
These are pretty good! I think I was expecting more of a granola bar texture and but it's definitely more like oatmeal. I LOVE the hazelnut flavor as well as the chocolate chips. However, I am not a fan of the cranberries. Next time (and there will be a next time) I will use a different fruit. I think raisins as well as a teaspoon (or two) of cinnamon would be excellent.

I grabbed one this morning on my way out the door and heated it for 30 seconds and it was very good warmed.

Mr. ShoeFanatic hated them. Oh well, more for me!

ETA, 5/27/09: Do not make this. It smells like moldy rice today. I'm about to vomit.

SOURCE:
Erica's Kitchen Adventures