Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal

I have always admired ‘morning people’ because I have never really been one. I’m not a sleep-all-day type either, but I do not have a magical internal clock that rouses me, energetic and alert, every morning. In fact, the snooze button gets a lot of use and I have been known to spend far too much on really, really comfortable bed sheets.

But  sometimes on the weekend I cannot help but purposely get up early before everyone else because I love the quiet stillness of the house in the early morning. I like to get up, putter around, make some tea, and catch up on some online reading — nothing too strenuous. Not surprisingly, I also capitalize on such quiet, solo mornings by cooking, blogging and taking pictures – thank goodness for the huge kitchen window and the moody softness of morning light.

So much of life is spent hurrying, worrying and just trying to get up and out the door. A weekend morning of solitude can be a welcome reprieve after (or before) a hectic work week. In the summer, early mornings are nice to spend outside before the heat hits, but now that fall has really arrived, the coziness of foggy mornings keeps me inside and gets me thinking of something warm and sustaining for breakfast.

Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350°

Butter for the baking dish

1 ½ C rolled oats (not quick oats)

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 C raisins

3 C milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Butter a 8×8 inch baking dish. Add oats and spices. Top with raisins. Stir together milk and vanilla and pour over oats. Bake for 40 minutes until tender and browned. Serve immediately with milk and more maple syrup or brown sugar as desired.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Vancouver has had an unseasonably cold spring. Usually by now we are seeing fairly consistent sunshine and the afternoons and evenings have become a bit balmy. Instead, we have had temperamental rain, very cool temperatures over night (close to freezing!) and even if the sun is out and seems warm, if you step into the shade, you will shiver. This kind of weather is crummy when you’re ready for some heat and you want to see and feel the world thaw a bit.

The one thing that this weather is good for is baking. Occasionally you just want to whip up a batch of cookies or a quick loaf and when the weather gets warm, that starts to seem like a bad idea. If it’s still baking temperature where you are, give these humble beauties a try. They are soft, chewy, and fragrant with cinnamon. Don’t love cinnamon? Dial it back to just a pinch. Prefer your oatmeal cookies with a smattering of raisins? Chocolate bits? Chocolate covered raisins? Toss them in! Jazz them up or leave them plain and simple – either way, they are worth trying before it’s too warm to imagine turning on the oven.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

preheat the oven to 350 degrees

1/2 a cup of butter or margarine

3/4 of a cup of brown sugar, gently packed

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup of flour

1 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp of ground nutmeg

2/3 of a cup of oats

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix well to combine. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Stir well.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and spices.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Once fully mixed, stir in the oats.

Drop my rounded teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. They will spread to be about 50% wider than their original diameter, so leave plenty of room. Bake for 14 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 16 – 20 cookies, depending on how “rounded” your teaspoonfuls are.