These easily adaptable baked oatmeal cups are an easy make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings. Use your favorite nut butters and jellies for endless flavor options! 

Confession: I hate peanut butter and jelly.

I have ever since I was a kid. Lunch was usually peanut butter on bread. Open faced. Don’t let jelly near it. (Apparently my career as a food snob started early.)

I make a slight exception for these baked oatmeal cups. The oats have nut butter baked into them, and they’re topped with a dollop of jam that gets all thick and condensed like the jelly in a thumbprint cookie. In short, they’re delicious – and they’re equally enjoyable hot from the oven as they are chilled from the fridge.

If the traditional peanut butter and grape/strawberry combo isn’t your thing, you can play around with your favorite flavor combinations. Maybe you’ll like almond butter and raspberry jam. Or sunflower butter and apricot preserves. The baked oatmeals cups pictured here are my current favorite – cashew butter and tart cherry preserves.

How to make baked oatmeal cups

Baked oatmeal cups are super simple to make, so you can easily whip up a batch on Sunday night and have breakfast ready for the week ahead.

Start by beating together eggs, coconut milk (the kind from a carton, not a can), applesauce, and vanilla. The eggs help hold the oatmeal cups together; the coconut milk and applesauce make them tender.

Next, beat in your favorite nut butter and a drizzle of honey – just enough to give the oatmeal a subtle hint of sweetness. If you keep your nut butter in the refrigerator like I do, scoop out what you need and put it in the warm oven for a few minutes to soften a little bit. That way it will be easier to mix in. You want to get everything as smooth as you can, but don’t worry if there are a few small lumps of nut butter – they’ll just create pockets of flavor in your oatmeal cups.

Now, mix in the oats, a pinch of salt, and some baking soda to help them rise slightly and give them a lighter texture.

Scoop the batter into a greased muffin tin and top each one with a spoon full of jelly, then bake until they’re slightly golden. When they’re done, these baked oatmeal cups will have a thin crunchy layer around the edge, with a soft, tender center. You can eat them with a spoon if they’re warm, or pick them up and eat them like a muffin if they’re cold. Either way, you’re in for a treat!

Nut Butter and Jelly Baked Oatmeal Cups

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, etc)
• 3 cups rolled old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1/2 cup jelly or preserves

Instructions

Heat your oven to 350ºF. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, coconut milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in the honey and nut butter until smooth. Stir in the oats, baking powder, and salt until fully combined.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Spoon one heaping teaspoon of jelly into the center of each muffin.

Bake 30-35 minutes, or until dry on top and slightly browned around the edges.

Let cool 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Store in the refrigerator. Serve warm or cold.

Notes

If your nut butter is cold or very thick, warm in in the oven for 5 minutes to melt it slightly and make it easier to stir into your batter.

Nutrition Information

Amount Per Serving Calories 262 Total Fat 16g Saturated Fat 11g Cholesterol 51mg Sodium 62mg Fiber 0g Sugar 11g Protein 5g