Are you Team Pop-Tart or Team Toaster Strudel? In all honesty, I’ve never had a Toaster Strudel. When I think Toaster Strudel, I think of Gretchen Weiners.
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Anyway… I’m a Pop-Tart person. I ate my fair share of them as a kid and I still enjoy them occasionally. One of the flavors I loved most growing up was the frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon. And, sure, I still like them. I mean, when they’re warm, they melt in your mouth, and they’re super-sweet with a light cinnamon flavor. Who’s gonna argue with that?
But, for all their sugary merits, Pop-Tarts aren’t the kind of breakfast that’s going to satisfy me through the morning. That hyper-sweetness tells you that they’re packed with sugar, and they lack the fiber and protein that serve to really satiate you. And the ingredient list reads like a bit of a science experiment. They’re better than nothing and totally enjoyable sometimes, but they’re also more like dessert than a well-rounded breakfast.
That doesn’t mean I don’t want my breakfast to taste delicious, though. Frankly, I want everything I eat to be delicious. Enter: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal.
Look at that! Nutty rolled oats and toasted chopped pecans get covered in cinnamon and combined with brown sugar, milk, applesauce, and eggs. The result is a fluffy, chewy, lightly-sweet breakfast dish that’s packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fat. I add some fruit (some fabulous ideas: caramelized bananas, sautéed cinnamon apples, fresh berries) and some milk or yogurt to bulk it up a little. If you add some nut butter, we can be best friends forever.
That is the kind of breakfast that can get you through the morning, sans sugar-crash. I’m not saying it tastes like a Pop-Tart. I am saying it’s delicious and nutritious.
It’s kind of like eating a cross between (healthy) cake and a giant oatmeal cookie. I wouldn’t judge you if you topped it with some ice cream and ate it for a super-healthy dessert. Or a more-decadent breakfast. You can even prep this ahead of time, heat it up, and eat it throughout the week.
In a half an hour, you can have that. Get excited.
- 2 c. rolled oats
- 1/2 c. pecan halves, chopped and toasted
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1 t. baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 c. milk*
- 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/3 c. brown sugar**
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Grease a large, oven-safe skillet (mine is 3 quarts) or similarly-sized baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, chopped and toasted pecans, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat eggs.
- Add milk, applesauce, vanilla, and brown sugar to beaten eggs. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Pour wet ingredients over oats and pecans and stir to combine.
- Pour oatmeal mixture into the prepared skillet and bake for 20 minutes, or until edges begin to pull away from the pan.
- If you plan to slice oatmeal and neatly serve it, allow to cool for about an hour before cutting into wedges. Right out of the oven it is much easier to scoop into bowls, but still completely delicious! Serve with fruit, nut butter, yogurt, or maple syrup for a bigger breakfast.
- * I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Use what you like!
- ** The oatmeal itself is lightly sweet, which lets all the other flavors stand out. If you want it sweeter, feel free to up the sugar to 1/2 c.
Do you prefer sweet or savory breakfasts?
What’s your favorite Pop-Tart flavor?
Poptarts were the bomb! Frosted strawberry….classic!!!
I loved those, too! And they were so pretty with the sprinkles 😀
I really enjoy the Christmas flavored pop tarts like sugar cookie and gingerbread. However I will never say no to cookies and cream, strawberry milkshake or cinnamon sugar. I once had a goal to try everyone, which I did but now hear they have peanut butter ones (!!!!!) which I need to try.
I am a sweet breakfast girl when I make it at home, but when I go out I’m all about breakfast burritos. Tons of tofu scramble, black beans, cheese and guacamole!
Try the peanut butter ones! If you warm them up, it’s like eating a gooey, warm PB cookie!!! And the chocolate-peanut butter ones are fabulous, too.
Not a fan of Poptarts i’m afraid (they always seemed to taste like cardboard to me but perhaps the UK recipe ones are slightly dodgy…) but your recipe looks delicious!
I go through phases on breakfast; I can eat some sweet variation of porridge oats for months and then suddenly find myself craving eggs everyday for a few weeks (currently in this phase- poached egg + avocado + rye bread has been my staple for the past 2 weeks).
Have a great weekend 🙂
Everyone is into avocado and egg, and I’ve never had the combo! Sounds like something delicious I should try!
Wow this recipe looks awesome. Not a big fan of poptarts, I gotta be in the mood for them! But I am definitely more of a poptart person than a toaster strudel one. Hope you have a great weekend 🙂
Thanks, Lyss! Have a wonderful weekend!
Haha! I always think of the Toaster Strudel commercials AND Mean Girls. This baked oatmeal sounds scrumptious. Love oatmeal in all shapes and sizes and forms!
Those commercials were pretty memorable! Thanks, Kaylin!
I’ve never had a Pop-Tart or a Toaster Strudel, but this looks yummy! It remind me almost *exactly* of the baked oatmeal my mom used to make for us as kids. She’d make it the night before, sprinkling cinnamon and (white) sugar on top, and the next morning, it’d be deliciously slightly soggy but with still a tiny crouch on top from where the sugar was thicker. But not too sweet. It was so good…I’d forgotten about that dish, so thank you for bringing back the fond childhood reminiscing!! Now I want to make this and see how close it is. ?
Oooh I love the idea of sprinkling cinnamon and sugar over the top. Yum! Nothing is ever quite as good as when Mom makes it, but I’ll still say that this is delicious 😉
I used to love those pop tarts too but they never would satisfy me, oatmeal is better! This looks like the perfect breakfast!
Oatmeal is awesome! Thanks, Rachel ?
These look so, so yummy! I love the Mean Girls reference- toaster strudel always makes me think of Gretchen Weiners, too!
Thanks, Liv! That movie is it’s own kind of classic 🙂
If you can believe it… I have never had a Toaster Strudel before in my life! 😮
Neither have I… so maybe I can’t accurately say I’m a Pop-Tart person…? But they’ve just never enticed me quite as much!