Warm Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal

Ingredients

Instructions

0 of 6 steps complete

1. 1Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, 1 tsp of the cinnamon and the nutmeg, and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender but still hold their shape and the juices turn syrupy.
2. 2Spoon about ¾ cup of the cooked apples and their syrup into a small bowl and set aside for the tops; leave the rest in the saucepan.
3. 3Stir the oats, water (or water and milk) and salt into the saucepan and bring just to a simmer over medium-high heat, watching closely — oatmeal boils over in seconds.
4. 4Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until thick and creamy with no chalky center in the oats. If it tightens too much, loosen it with a splash of water or milk.
5. 5Off the heat, stir in the maple syrup, vanilla and the remaining ½ tsp cinnamon, then let it rest 2 minutes — it thickens to a spoon-coating consistency as it stands.
6. 6Spoon into warm bowls, top with the reserved cinnamon apples and their syrup, and finish with toasted walnuts or raisins. For a baked version, add 1 extra cup of liquid and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.