This Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal is truly the coziest Fall breakfast! Creamy thick oats loaded with soft cooked apples and spiced with cinnamon…give me a cup of coffee and I’m set!
Is there anything better than on a cozy Fall morning, when the air is cool enough to open the windows, than having a warm bowl of oatmeal in your hands?! I think not.
If you didn’t know, I absolutely *love* oatmeal. In fact, these blueberry overnight oats were the very first recipe that I posted here on OBB. Since then, I have posted a TON of delicious oatmeal recipes.
This one is something special though. Let me tell you why!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Don’t get me wrong, y’all. I love fresh berry season in the Spring, peach season in the Summer…but there is something special about APPLE season.
And the apples absolutely shine in this recipe. They are cooked down to get soft but still have a slight bite to them. They are cooked in BUTTER (yup, flavor bomb) and brown sugar and from those two ingredients, an incredibly sweet and caramely sauce emerges. I wanted to slurp up the sauce with a straw.
The oatmeal itself is perfectly thick and creamy – loaded with cozy spiced cinnamon in each bite. The brown sugar as a sweetener adds a delightful molasses taste – SO delicious.
When you combine the two together – the apples add an incredible texture and sweetness as the oatmeal works as the delicious spiced vehicle. It’s a stick to your ribs kinda breakfast and it’s SO DANG GOOD.
Ingredients You Need:
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats – these yield to a chewier more thick oatmeal consistency that I desire.
- Milk of your choice – whatever you have on hand should work!
- Light brown sugar – for sweetness, of course!
- Salted butter – the salted aspect makes for GREAT flavor.
- Honeycrisp apple – the apple of all apples, a must have for this recipe!
- Vanilla extract – for extra cozy Fall vibes!
- Cinnamon – to spice!
How to Make Oatmeal in 5 Simple Steps:
- Begin by dicing the apple into bite size pieces.
- In a medium size pot, add the oatmeal, milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract and brown sugar to the pot. Stir together.
- Let the oatmeal come to a boil and then reduce the heat to low medium and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring continually until your desired thickness is achieved. Taste and if needed, add additional sweetener. Keep this on low heat, warm.
- In a pot, add salted butter on medium heat and let it melt. Add in the cooked apples along with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir together and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened.
- Divide the cooked oatmeal and apples into 2 bowls and top with the cooked apples and some of the sauce from the apple pan. Garnish with walnuts and an additional pinch of cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!
Best Oatmeal Making Tips:
Be sure to stir pretty continually so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
If you like your oatmeal more thin and you feel like it got too thick, add in a splash of milk at the end.
To make it extra rich, add a pat of salted butter INTO the oatmeal. My in-laws taught me this as they are obsessed with butter and I’ve never gone back.
If you decide to use quick oats, just know that they will cook QUICKER than the old fashioned rolled oats – so you might have to adjust the time. Just watch them closely as they cook!
Like with all of my recipes, I encourage you to taste as you go and adjust as you wish! If you like your oatmeal sweeter, add another tbsp of brown sugar. Want it extra spicy? Add a little bit more cinnamon and so on…
Ingredient Substitutions:
No honeycrisp apples on hand? You can use gala or pink lady apples as well. I don’t recommend using any of the “classic” apple varieties like granny smith, red delicious or golden delicious.
You can sub the walnuts on top with pecans or slivered almonds. I also added a crunchy granola on top as well. Added texture is great with this recipe.
You can use coconut oil instead of butter.
You can substitute maple syrup or honey in the oatmeal for the brown sugar. It might slightly alter the taste a bit but I love adding pure maple syrup instead of brown sugar. Very cozy vibes!
Any milk you prefer will work! I love using oat milk or whole milk.
How to Store/Reheat Leftovers:
This recipe makes enough oatmeal for 2 people. If you just need one serving, store the other serving in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, stir in a fresh splash of 2 of milk and then either use the microwave or add to a pot on the stove to heat until it’s warmed through.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few other oatmeal recipes you might like:
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
This Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal is truly the coziest Fall breakfast! Creamy thick oats loaded with soft cooked apples and spiced with cinnamon…give me a cup of coffee and I’m set!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups milk of choice (I usually use whole milk, you may need to add a splash more if you like your oatmeal thinner)
- 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon (divided)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp brown sugar (divided)
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1 honeycrisp apple, diced into bite size pieces
- walnuts, granola etc. to garnish
Instructions
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Dice the honeycrisp apple into bite size pieces and set aside.
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Add the oats, milk, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and vanilla extract to a medium sized pot on the stove on medium heat. Stir to combine.
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Let the oatmeal come to a boil then reduce heat to low and cook for 2-4 minutes or until desired consistency is reached, continually stirring the oatmeal to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.
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Once your desired oatmeal consistency is reached, taste and add additional sweetener if needed. Keep warm on the stove. If needed, when ready to eat, add a splash of milk to the oatmeal to thin it out.
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In a large skillet, add 2 tbsp of salted butter on medium heat and let it melt. To the pan, add in the honeycrisp apples and 2 tbsp of brown sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Stir and cook for 5 minutes or until slightly softened.
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Once the apples are done, divide the oatmeal into two bowls and then top with the cooked apples (making sure to scrape all of that buttery sweet sauce into the bowls of oatmeal!) Top with walnuts or crunchy granola if desired. Enjoy immediately while warm!