Toasted Coconut Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal Fan? Coconut Fan? You’ll love this clean eating, sugar free Toasted Coconut Baked Oatmeal.

If you’ve been around this blog for a while you’ve heard me go on and on about this Baked Cookie Oatmeal. We consistently have it for breakfast once or twice a week and no one is sick of it yet! I got to thinking that it would be fun to have some other flavors of baked oatmeal, that we loved equally, so I could switch things up a bit. Enter my first flavor variation of what I’m sure will be many: Toasted Coconut Baked Oatmeal.

I worked on this recipe for quite a while before it was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted it to clearly taste of coconut, but only be lightly sweetened. It wanted it to taste “summer-y”. The texture needed to be light and airy, and it needed to look pretty.

The taste test: I was pretty sure the oatmeal tasted like coconut, and not a bowl of sugar, but I needed a second opinion. I let my husband try a bite one morning. He hates the taste of coconut. When he nearly spit out his mouthful of coconut oatmeal I knew the flavor was a success!

The texture test: I messed around with a few options here, and finally found a combination that works. Coconut flour is naturally dense, and is usually used in conjunction with eggs. Something about putting an egg into my oatmeal just didn’t seem quite right. I found a bit of baking powder helped keep the oatmeal light. It ends up having a texture similar to cake. I’m cool with breakfast cake.

After lots of testing and messing with the recipe I love this oatmeal. It is everything I wanted in a bowl of coconut oatmeal. I don’t find myself tired of the taste by the time I reach for the last few bites, but rather wishing I had more to eat!

So, what other flavor of baked oatmeal should I try next?

 Ingredients (makes 1 serving)

• 1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 c coconut milk (I use the canned variety, and stored the extra milk from the can in the refrigerator)
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1/2 c gluten free oats
• 2 Tbs coconut flour
• 2 Tbs coconut flakes, divided (sweetened or unsweetened, depending on your preference)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. In a small ramekin (I use a 2 cup pyrex bowl) combine the applesauce, coconut milk, and honey.
3. Add the oats, coconut flour, baking powder, and half of the coconut flakes and stir.
4. Sprinkle with the remaining half of the coconut flakes.
5. Bake for approximately 18 minutes, or until the top of the oatmeal/coconut is golden brown and just a bit crispy.

This post is linked to Gluten Free Wednesdays! Check it out at Gluten Free Homemaker, Gluten Free Easily, and Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures.