Oatmeal Cupcakes – For Now or Later

We just had our third baby (and third boy!) on Friday morning. We are overjoyed and happily adjusting to our newest family member.   As we try to get used to a new routine once again we’re looking for easy, healthy snack foods.  My wife found this recipe the other day and we made them and were very happy with the results.  They feature a good number of Bailey’s staples (oats, applesauce, maple syrup, oil), are easy to prepare, and good for saving in the freezer for whenever you need a little bit of breakfast.

The batter can be made the night before and allowed to soak in the fridge which will help to further soften the oats, adding to the ease of baking in time for breakfast.

Oatmeal Cupcakes – For Now or Later

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 5 cups oats
• 2 ½ cups applesauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 4-6 tbsp. maple syrup
• optional: ⅔ cup mini chocolate chips
• 2 ⅓ cups water
• ¼  cup plus 1 tbsp. oil
• 2 ½  tsp pure vanilla extract
• optional add-ins: chocolate chips, dried fruit, cinnamon, shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, ground flax or wheat germ, pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie spices, etc.

Preheat oven to 375 F, and grease cupcake tins.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well.  In a second bowl combine and mix together the wet ingredients.  Mix the two bowls together then spoon into the cupcake tins, filling until just full (they won’t expand like normal cupcakes).  Bake for 20 minutes and check to see that they’re beginning to turn golden on top.  If you like you may give them a quick broil for 1-2 minutes at the end to crisp up the top.  Allow to cool for a few minutes until they can be pried out of the cupcake tins.  (The cooler they are the easier they are to remove.)  

If you are going to freeze the cupcakes just freeze them in the cupcake tins before removing them and and then you can transfer them to a freezer bag.  Reheat them when you need a quick and easy breakfast (or any meal), and top them with fresh or frozen fruit (in the photo they’re topped with frozen blueberries), or maple syrup, or anything else that sounds good!

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie, pictures from Jon Spee who blogs about localism at The Local Kitchener (although he’s taking a break to readjust to life with a new baby!).