Personalized Baked Steel Cut Oat Cups will make everyone in the family happy!
Yes I know what your thinking.......This looks so very similar to my most popular recipe, Personal Sized Baked Oatmeal with Individual Toppings all over Pinterest, BUT there are some simple changes I made from the original per reader requests. 🙂
So here are the differences:
- Steel cut oats versus rolled oats
- chia seeds versus flaxseed
- reduction of amounts used overall
- Layered batter/filling effect versus just topping
Moral of the story.....It is really just personal preference of whichever you like better. I had many requests to work my original recipe with steel cut oats and also to use chia seeds so this is what I came up with.
I love both!
But just an FYI: The texture of these will NEVER be the consistency of making steel cut oats on the stove or in the crock pot. They will have a chewy texture, but it doesn't mean they are undercooked, that is the way baking them like this will make them. I eat them warm in a bowl with a fork.
This is the middle, the filling part. Can you see that very special one I made just for me, bottom, second from left? Oh yes, you ARE guessing correctly.
Covered here with more batter and desired toppings.
After placing filling into cupcake liners, cover only a few at a time with batter so you don't forget what you placed inside. Ha Ha, 'cause I ALMOST did forget! Especially NOT good if you have children allergic to certain ingredients!
My filling/topping ingredients:
- blueberries/shredded unsweetened coconut
- raspberry/chocolate chip
- dried unsweetened cherries/granola
- sunflower seeds
- mango
- all natural peanut butter,no sugar added/ unsweetened, all-natural jam (pic below)
Oh yes, PB&J Baked Oatmeal is fantastic, unfortunately I only made one for myself to try it. AND.I.WILL.MAKE.IT.AGAIN.
But the hubby thought it sounded gross and I'd like to know your thoughts.
Gross or YUM?
How can you not want to eat THAT for breakfast or a snack, I mean really 🙂
Here's the nutrition info for the PB&J Baked Steel Cut Oat cups if you are interested in making them.
Additional Notes:
I expected to make only about 12 since I had reduced the amount of oats from my original personal sized baked oatmeal which uses rolled oats, but I got 16 instead. I probably could have filled them more then I did and got less, but it is what it is ...... I'm fine with more anyway. Hope you won't mind either!
So I'd love to hear from you if you've made my original recipe using rolled oats and also if you try this recipe which you prefer, let me know!
Don't forget....... Gross or Yum to the PB&J idea?
Can't find the QUICK steel cut oats? You can use regular and soak them, here's the recipe: Individual Steel Cut Oat Cups [Pre-soaked, No Sugar]
Nutrition Info {plain, no filling or topping}
- 1 banana, mashed
- ½ cup applesauce, unsweetened
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups milk ( I used 1%)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 ½ cups [QUICK ]steel cut oats ( I used Trader Joe's Brand, do not need to soak)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon [url href="www.iherb.com/p/5270?rcode=yaj035" target="_blank"]stevia powder[/url] or use ½ cup honey
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl mix together, oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, stevia.
- In another bowl mix together banana, applesauce, egg, vanilla, and milk. If you are using honey instead of stevia, add it to the wet ingredients now.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix to combine.
- Spray cupcake liners with cooking spray.
- Place 1 tablespoon of batter into liners, add desired filling ingredients, pour more batter, top with desired toppings.
- Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick in center comes out clean.
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Lexxi Warda
Is there something you can replace the applesauce with? I have seen it being used in many recipes and I am allergic to apples. Thank you!
Robin Nickles
Oh, one more tip. If you decide to make this into bread like I did, oil your bread pan generously with coconut oil or butter. I used a glass loaf pan. I'm guessing tin might need a longer cook time. Mine was really moist in the middle but made the most incredible thick sliced "toast" when I ran it under the broiler in slices in the evening. For the chocolate drizzle, you can just throw semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe cup and microwave for about 1-2 minutes, or until liquid, stirring and checking a few times. You want to make sure the cup is completely dry as any water will make the chocolate seaze. Voila! Dessert in a heartbeat! I can't tell you how excited I am about this. My poor gluten-free soccer playing teenager is wasting away to nothing and now we finally have a breakfast alternative to greek yogurt and gluten free granola!
Barb
Hi Robin, would love to have the exact amts for your improvised muffins into loaf bread recipe. Thanks
Robin Nickles
So I didn't have everything on hand so I improvised and made the most DIVINE bread! I thought I'd share in case you're interested in giving it a shot. I didn't have old fashioned oats, only steel cut "Coach's Oats" from Costco. I wasn't sure on the texture so I ran them through my food processor for an eternity until they were a flour consistency. I was also missing applesauce but you inpired me with your peanut butter idea so I added a 1/2 c. of all natural peanut butter instead and doubled up on the banana. I used really ripe ones to up the sweetness. Other than that I skipped the cinnamon and used vanilla unsweetened almond milk instead, and only had about 1/8 c. of honey on hand but figured the banana compensated. Finally, I didn't have baking powder so I threw in a handful of "Pamela's baking and pancake mix" as I knew it had some in it. I kind of winged it a bit on the oats and almond milk until I got the right consistency and then threw it all in a loaf pan at 350 for 40 minutes. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD!! Last night for dessert, I cut some really thick slices and ran them under the broiler for just a second until they were crispy on top and then put a dab of butter and a drizzle of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips on each slice. The kids are begging me to make it again. We inhaled it in about 10 minutes which is really saying something for my ultimately picky, wildly diversified as far as taste, gluten-free family! I'm trying a hybrid pumpkin/applesauce version tonight with the stuff I have on hand again. I love the idea of having loaves I can just run under the broiler for an instant breakfast for the munchkins.
Amy
After making do I refrigerate the rest or can they stay out on the counter in an air tight container?
Brenda
I would refrigerate.
Laura
Yum to every variant of the recipie, including the PB; thanks for posting! 🙂
Cindy
Yum to the PBJ one!
Heather
Do these freeze well? Looking for something I can make ahead of time for my husband and I and then grab and go.
Emily
These are amazing! I look forward to them every morning for breakfast and they have really broken me out of my instant-oatmeal rut. So many people at work have commented to me on how good they look when I heat them up in the microwave -- I've given out the recipe to three people already! Thank you for introducing me to chia seeds and stevia. I'm looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Brenda
That's fantastic! Thanks for sharing with me!
Laura
Love these! My new favorite is adding cocoa powder (unsweetened). I didn't measure, just added cocoa until I had dark batter. Topped the muffin with a few chocolate chips and they are wonderful!
Kelly
This may sound like a crazy question - but do I have to use liners? I have a silicone muffin pan and would like to just pop them out - if that is possible. I am trying to slowly transition to healthier choices and you have many recipes that I would like to incorporate. Thank you for a great site!
Brenda
You don't need to use the liners if you have the silicone, they work great!
Mary
I am not a big fan of banana. Can you substitute anything for the banana? I notice that all of the baked oatmeal recipes i have seen all seem to have banana - why?
Brenda
yes you can substitute pumpkin or applesauce.
Tracey
Just thought I'd share an idea. You could cut up an apple and dice it, put a little apple, brown sugar and cinnamon in...it tastes like an apple pie...even leave the brown sugar out it probably still taste like an apple pie.
Andrea
Just took these out of the oven! They smell delicious! I made mine with 1/2 cup agave and 1 cup apple sauce (I thought I had a banana but I guess someone in my house ate it this morning...)
I filled 8 with 2 tsp. natural PB and a few raisins (topped with 2 raisins each) and 8 with 2 large frozen cherries (topped with a dried bing cherry).
I can't wait to have one in the morning!
I plugged the recipe using my adjustments into the WW points calculator and WITHOUT fillings/toppings they are 4PP each.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Andrea
Update on these: OH MY GOODNESS! These are SO good. I LOVE the combo of PB and oats. I saved a few for the next few mornings and froze the rest. So happy to have a quick and easy breakfast like this.
Meghan
I have made these and they are so so trasty! Thanks for a healthy and delicious go to for breakfast! Quick question- I used honey instead of stevia- in your nutrition info does the sugar/carb/etc. count include if you use honey or without?
Meghan
*tasty!
KeLLY RAY
I made your original receipe with the steel cut oats, they are awesome. My son wants me to make the pb&j for his lunch box. Thank you for the receipe.
Stephanie
I'm dying to make these in "cookie" form. Any ideas on how I could do that?
Brenda
I haven't tried but I just may soon!
Stephanie
Any idea on what to add/subtract to the batter to so it makes more of a dough rather than batter so the "cookies" will hold together?
Brenda
no, I'd need to experiment, sorry!
Kim
I just made these today I put blackberries in them! all I can say WOW
Amy
Can you substitute regular oats in this recipe that uses steel cut? Also, when i say regular what about quick cooking?
Emily
Thank you! I love to bake and because of dietary restrictions have to live a no sugar added life! These are healthy, tastey, easy to make, and great to take on the go!
Rachel
Can we use almond milk instead of 1% milk?
Brenda
I haven't tried it but I don't see why I wouldn't work.
Ellen
Wow these things are dense! They stuck to the paper more than I expected but overall I was pleased. I used hemp milk instead and I wasn't sure if you used a banana (which I didn't have on hand) for flavor or moisture so I used a cup of yogurt instead. I also didn't realize this is a sugar-free blog so I guess I broke the rules and added two tablespoons of powdered sugar. I also used regular, not quick-cook, steel oats and added 4 tablespoons of hemp protein and let the batter sit for 36 hours. Overall, it was all worth the effort, they came out tasty! Can't wait to pack them for breakfast tomorrow!
Brenda
Well I'm pretty impressed that with all the changes you made to them that you still enjoyed them!Yes the banana is to create moist not dense baked cups and to add sweetness as well. Quick oats are a different texture than regular as well. Glad you were able to made those modifications work for you!
Lara
Quick question - I have Trader Joe's traditional Steel Cut Oats - NOT the quick cook. Can I use these and if so what changes should I make? Thank you!!
Brenda
I just added the link at the end of the post to the Individual Steel Cut Oat Cups {pre-Soaked}.
Lara
Thank you!!!
Donna Dawe
Well, I just made these and because I didn't have apple sauce I used what I did have, which was mango puree. I think I'll also make another batch using up some of that strawberry pureé I have and this time put some chocolate shavings in with it. We use xylitol as our main "sugar" and we LOVE it! I posted this site on your previous recipe, but thought others reading this one might wanna check it out too. Great source for buying cheap, healthy bulk foods. Azure Standard: http://www.azurestandard.com/
Liz
Did you use Trader Joes quick cook steel cut oats or regular? I can't wait to try these, they look delicious!
Brenda
I just made the recipe again and my apologies! I did use Trader Joe's QUICK steel cut oats! So sorry! Just edited the recipe!
Jill
Thanks Brenda. I think I was expecting them to come out more "crisp" like a granola bar. Regardless, I think mine were undercooked and that was my problem. Love your site!!!
janet
I just made these a second time and the top, sides and bottom came out super hard again. I tried baking them for longer and same thing. 🙁 I used honey as sweetener, an otherwise followed the recipe exactly. My fillings were canned pineapple and PB.
Brenda
My guess if they came out hard around the sides and bottom is because they were baked too long.
Brenda
Did you try increasing the milk or applesauce this time?
janet
Actually, the texture was of undercooked oats. And to answer your below question, no I didn't increase the milk or applesauce because I followed the recipe exactly, hoping to get better results than last time. oh well!
Brenda
I'm making them again this morning and using honey instead of stevia. I will let you know if I get different results.
Brenda
Janet I got the same results. The honey and stevia change makes no difference to texture. I added an FYI above because yes the texture will never be what you are used to with making steel cut oats on a stove or in a crock pot. Maybe removing the chia seeds will eliminate that crunchiness you aren't fond of because my oats were cooked. I'm sorry you weren't happy with the results, but to me making this recipe just provides another easy option to use steel cut oats.
Brenda
Also, have you tried the original recipe using rolled oats? That is super moist and everyone loves it!
Brenda
My apologies Janet, I DID use quick steel cut oats not regular, that's why you had the texture of undercooked. The regular ones will need to be soaked first before using in this recipe and I am making them right now to make sure the liquid amounts work once the oats are soaked.
DeAnna Choi
Oh, would love to know if the recipe changes with regular steel cut oats becuase that is what I have! Thanks!!