Peanut Butter & Jelly Inspired Baked Oatmeal

I’m in a breakfast rut again.

Occasionally, I’ve been craving savory breakfasts. I can’t get enough eggs lately, but I’m too lazy to get up earlier than usual to make them before work, so they generally make an appearance on the weekends or at dinner.

I still love overnight and regular oats, but I’ve been trending away from them lately. As much as I’m a creature of habit, I do get tired of monotony.

Smoothies are back in business, but they never fill me up, so I have to add toast, one of these amazing muffin tops (that I inhaled last week, even though I’m not loving bananas on their own at the moment), or even a store-bought (sugar-laden) granola bar.

Enter: baked oatmeal.

Oatmeal bakes are all over the “blogosphere,” but for some odd reason, I’ve never made my own. Sure, I’ve bookmarked various recipes, but I’ve never actually gotten around to creating one.

Although I almost cracked open the last can of pumpkin in my pantry, I opted for something equally comforting: peanut butter.

Throw in some raisins—and even top with a bit of jelly—and you have a PB&J-inspired oatmeal bake. “PB&J” is used loosely here, since all I did was make peanut butter oats and toss in some raisins. Still, you’ve got that fruity sweetness to balance the creamy, salty peanut butter.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Inspired Baked Oatmeal

serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned oats
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp coconut oil or butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup peanut butter
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350º.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.
Coat an 8″ x 8″ baking pan with cooking spray, butter, or coconut oil, and pour in the mixture.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
Slice into squares and serve in a bowl as is or covered with milk.

Since Mark isn’t a fan of oatmeal (one day I will convert him!), I’m hoping he likes this one. If not, more for me—as it will keep in the fridge and heat up nicely in the microwave at work.