It may look like a cupcake and it may taste like a cupcake but would you believe me if I told you this is oatmeal?! After nearly four years of running this blog, I’m finally jumping on board the oats train with some baked oatmeal bites that are going to blow your mind and your tastebuds.
I grew up in an oat-lovin’ family and while I appreciate a nice hot bowl of oatmeal every once in a while, I don’t want to start off every morning with… grain goop. The texture just isn’t it for me most days, which is why I’ve been experimenting with new, subtly textured ways to incorporate more of this heart-healthy grain into my diet. Baked oatmeal checks all of these boxes.
Cake Batter Baked Oatmeal Bites are the perfect prep-ahead solution for oat lovers, haters, and oat-neutral folks because they combine all the best parts of oatmeal, cupcakes, and muffins into a nourishing bite-size breakfast—or dessert! You do you :)
Cake Batter Baked Oatmeal Bites (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole grain oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup cashews*
- 1 tbsp flaxmeal
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 3/4 cup water or plant milk
- 1/2 tbsp vegan sprinkles
- 1/4 cup plan nondairy yogurt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tsp maple syrup (or sweetener of choice; more to taste)
- optional: more sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a muffin/cupcake pan.
- Cover cashews with boiling water and soak for at least 10 minutes. Once the cashews are soft, drain the water and set aside.
- Prepare the flax egg. Combine flaxmeal with 2.5 tbsp room temperature water and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Process the oats along with baking powder and salt in a high-speed blender or food processor.
- Add cinnamon, cashews, flax egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, vanilla extract, almond extract, and water or milk. Blend until smooth. The consistency should resemble cake batter. Fold in sprinkles.
- Divide the batter between six cups in the muffin pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out mostly clean.
- To prepare the frosting, whisk together yogurt, vanilla extract, and maple syrup.
- Prior to serving, top each oatmeal bite with 1 - 2 teaspoons of frosting and more sprinkles, if desired.
Notes:
Substitutions: You can swap out the cashews for almond butter or another neutral-tasting nut butter in a 1:1 ratio. However, you should reduce the amount of liquid (water or milk) to 1/2 cup if you opt out of using cashews. You can add more water as you blend if you feel that the consistency of the batter is too thick.
