I’m always looking for different ways to eat my morning bowl of oatmeal.  So when a reader requested baked oatmeal put into muffins, I was all over it!  These are great to make ahead and grab on the go.  You can’t exactly eat a bowl of oatmeal in the car, so this is a perfect alternative.  Great for the kids, too!

I’ve seen recipe variations for this all over Pinterest, but my favorite one I came across was from sugarfreemom.com, here is her version, and below is how I adapted it.  The topping and filling possibilities are endless!  Enjoy!

Individual Steel Cut Oatmeal Cups

Makes 21

2 1/4 cup steel cut oats (could also use old fashioned oats)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp ground flax seeds (or chia seeds)
1/2 cup whey protein powder in vanilla (*or omit, or use your favorite non-dairy protein powder)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 banana, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 cup water (if you omit protein completely, change water amount to 1/2 cup)
2 egg whites (I used 1/4 cup carton kind)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (1 snack pack)

*NOTE: If you don’t use a sweetened protein (mine is sweetened with stevia…you may need to add some sweetener to the batter. 15-20 stevia drops, stevia powder (1/2 to 1 tsp) or 5-10 packets or even 1/4 cup honey. Nutrition will change if you use honey.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line your muffin pan with muffin cups and lightly mist with oil or cooking spray.  In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients (everything until baking powder).  In another bowl or large measuring cup, mix together all the wet ingredients (banana thru applesauce).  Mix the wet into the dry and mix until blended.

Now, fill or top how you like!

Topping Ideas:

Sunflower seeds
Raisins
Sliced almonds
Chocolate chips
Chia seeds
Flax seeds
Coconut
Fresh fruit pieces (raspberry, peach, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, etc)

Filling Ideas:

Lower sugar jams (strawberry, raspberry, apricot, orange marmalade)
Peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower seed butter (if nut allergy)

If you want to put filling inside, put 1 Tbsp of batter in the bottom of your muffin cup. Add fillings, and top with more batter.

Here’s one I filled with almond butter & jam, and also topped with raspberries & chocolate chips!

You can also not fill them and just put toppings on top.

If you’re making a batch to freeze, I would recommend leaving them plain, then adding toppings once they are thawed.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until just browned around the outside and is firm to the touch.

Nutrition (per muffin cup, plain)   Calories: 90   Fat: 1.5 g   Carbs: 15 g   Fiber: 2.1 g   Sugars: 1.2 g   Sodium: 80 mg   Protein: 5 g