A warm bowl of Caramelized Apple Oatmeal to keep us going in the chilly weather of Fall Season. This oatmeal is screaming Fall with the generous topping of caramelized Apple. Fall is just getting started, so let us embrace and celebrate it.

It is getting colder everyday now and so oatmeal are even more becoming my favorite breakfast everyday. I like to make oatmeal variations that make use of what is in season. Since it is Fall, Apples are in order and oatmeal is one great way to enjoy them with. I used Apple for some of my Fall baking and recently I had been been using them to top my oatmeal. The good thing about Apple is that it is just like Banana, it is available all year round, and it is budget friendly. This is single serving recipe, so I only used 1 Apple. You can simply double of triple the recipe if you want to make a large batch. 1 Apple per person is more than enough for a single serving of the warm oatmeal. This is quite filling and this will keep you full and going in the morning.

Flavor of the Month: Caramelized Apple Oatmeal

Fall oatmeal flavor of the month is not complete without either an Apple or a Pumpkin variation. I already shared my Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal and Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal which are both included in my Fall oatmeal rotation. This month, I am sharing with you my new favorite variation, super easy and delicious Caramelized Apple Oatmeal. The same easy base oatmeal recipe, made extra special for Fall by adding an easy caramelized Apple. The recipe is so easy you can make this on the fly when you feel like having a warm bowl of oatmeal. You can even make a large batch of caramelized Apple ahead of time which makes the process easier. Keep it refrigerated and use it whenever you feel like making this oatmeal in the morning. I like to use Granny Smith because if its firmer texture and strong tart flavor. You can use other type of Apple just make sure to use the one that is not too mushy so it can stand the heat when you coo it. I used a small amount of butter but if you want to keep it butter free, you can use coconut oil instead. Brown sugar is my go to for this recipe, I like the caramel flavor it adds to the Apple but a granulated sugar will work too. Cook the Apple less more more to suit your texture preference, I like mine just right. Not too mushy with a slight crunch. The caramelized Apple is the star of this oatmeal variation, but if you are not an Apple fan, you can use Pear. Check out my Pear Almond Crumble Oatmeal recipe.

Types of Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats (Irish Oats) – This type of oats has a finer texture but is chewier than traditional oats, they are digested more slowly and it makes you feel full easily. This type is perfect for breakfast cereals as they make you feel full longer.

Rolled Oats (Old Fashioned) – This type of oats are flat, thin and have bigger pieces than Steel Cut Oats. It cooks faster, about 10 minutes for 1/3 cup (depending on how chewy you like it). Although filling, it is not as filling as using Steel Cut Oats, but if your recipe requires minimal cooking time or you do not have much time on hand, this is the perfect type of oats to use. I find that this type is also the one perfect for baking cookies, bars, bread or pancakes.

Quick Oats – This type of oats have flat, light and even thinner pieces as compared to Rolled Oats. This cooks in about 1-2 minutes and are perfect for recipes that calls for a very minimal cooking time. Although it is also a good option for breakfast, it is not as filling as using Steel Cut Oats and Rolled Oats.

Instant Oats – This type of oatmeal has been pre-cooked and dried, because of this, it require no cooking time at all. You just need to add boiling water and let sit for few minutes to soften. This type of oatmeal doesn’t have chewiness and texture and can get mushy at times. This if perfect option when you are traveling and you need something on the go. Simply add hot water and you have an instant breakfast with you.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Rolled Oats
• 1 3/4 cup Milk (Can be substituted with a mix of water and milk in any proportion)
• 2 tablespoon Brown Sugar (can be substituted with other sweetener of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon Chia Seed
• 2 teaspoon Flax Seed

Caramelized Apple

• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 3 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• pinch Salt
• 1 tablespoon Walnut (optional) – chopped

Instructions:

1. Make the Caramelized Apple:  Peel and thinly slice (or dice) the Apple. In a heated pan, add butter, swirl the pan until the butter is fully melted. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top and wait for the sugar to dissolve. Add sliced Apple, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder and salt. Cook 2-3 minutes or until the Apple is soft to your liking.
2. Make the Base Oatmeal: Pour milk in a pan. Add rolled oats, brown sugar, chia seed and flax seed. Stir to prevent the flax and chia seed from clumping. Simmer in medium low heat for about 10 – 15 minutes. Make sure to stir from time to time to avoid sticking at the bottom and from forming a “film”  or “skin” on top. At anytime, you can shorten the cooking time once it reached your desired consistency. Taste and adjust sweetness as desired. The consistency of the oats will thicken as it cools, if you are serving it immediately, you can cook it a little bit longer to get a thick consistency. Cooking time is flexible, cook less or more time to adjust to the texture and consistency that you prefer.
3. Serve: Transfer the oatmeal in a bowl and top with caramelized Apple and other desired topping. I used chopped walnut.

Re-heating

One tip when reheating it, add few spoonful of water or milk to thin out the consistency. The oatmeal with or  without chia seed will thicken as it cools, even more when refrigerated. So to bring it back to nice consistency, you need to add a little bit of liquid. For single serving, add 1-2 tbsp of liquid and stir then simply pop it in the microwave for 1 minute. take it out and stir again, adding more liquid as  necessary to achieve the consistency that you like. Easy breezy! Enjoy

Recipe Notes

I am using quite a lot of liquid here because I like my Oatmeal consistency to be not too thick and also because I like to cook it longer than 15 minutes for a smoother creamier texture. Also, chia seed absorbs liquid and makes a jelly like consistency. If you like a thick oatmeal, use 1 1/4 cup of liquid but bear in mind that the oatmeal thickens as it cools. If you are making it ahead of time (overnight), I suggest use 1 3/4 cups of liquid so that it wouldn’t be too thick the following day.

Featured Posts:

• Single Serving Sweet Potato Oatmeal
• Single Serve Coconut Mango Oatmeal
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• Single Serving Banana & Chia Seed Oatmeal
• Single Serving Caramelized Banana Oatmeal
• Single Serving Pear Almond Crumble Oatmeal
• Single Serving Blueberry Banana Oatmeal
• Single Serving Mashed Sweet Potato Oatmeal
• Single Serving Strawberry Crisp Oatmeal
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