The name Sweet Oat Bake fits this recipe perfectly: simple and sweet. This treat is nutty, slightly chewy, and offers just a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. It’s a great accessory to your morning coffee or tea, or a yummy after-dinner sweet.
Eat it plain, top it with fresh whipped cream, or serve it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream! Oh! And maybe some bananas foster… that would be so good!
With all the craziness going on in the world, and the need to social distance, it’s been amazing to see how creative people have gotten with keeping themselves entertained and staying connected with their loved ones. Which leads me to the fun story behind the creation of this recipe!
One of my girlfriends, Aleeza, challenged me to a pantry throwdown. What exactly do I mean by this? Here’s how it worked….She texted me a list of ingredients that she had available in her pantry and challenged me to come up with a recipe. I had 15 minutes to devise a recipe game plan, including which ingredients I would be using (which I obviously had to have available in my pantry too!). After the 15 minute prep time was up, we hopped on a video call so we could make the recipe together. Despite the need to social distance, we were still able to spend time together [virtually] in the kitchen. SUCH A FUN IDEA!!
Of course neither one of us knew how the recipe would turn out. But, when you throw ingredients together like sweetened condensed milk and oats… can you really go wrong!?
Sweet Oat Bake
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats, gluten free
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
Optional
- Chocolate hazelnut spread or chocolate chips (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Line 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place your oats and coconut flakes in the food processor and pulse for about 20 seconds, just enough to break down the coconut flakes and oats into smaller pieces, but not long enough to transform it all into a powder/flour consistency.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together your coconut flake/oat mixture with your remaining dry ingredients: almond flour, cinnamon, and salt.
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract into your mixing bowl with your dry ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula until your batter is completely combined. Your batter will be super thick at this point.
- Pour batter into lined baking pan and spread carefully and evenly with your rubber spatula. OPTIONAL: dollop chocolate hazelnut spread and swirl through the batter or top with chocolate chips!
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the bake has puffed up and turned a light golden brown color.
- Allow your oat bake to cool completely before removing from the parchment paper and cutting into squares.
- Serving suggestions: serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
