Blueberry Almond Baked Overnight Oatmeal

(Serves 4-6)

My guilty pleasure is lying in bed with a cup of coffee on Saturday morning and watching TV for a little while.  It’s nice to be leisurely, but my son needs breakfast or he gets a bit unruly.  This dish is one of my favorites for weekend mornings to make breakfast ahead of time and still get to relax a bit.  It’s also great for overnight guests.  It takes just a few minutes of prep the day before. 

You Will Need:

• 2 cups quick oats
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 ½ cups blueberries
• 3 cups milk
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Kosher salt

Topping:

• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut flakes

Instructions:

The day before:

• Spray a deep 8×8” baking dish with olive oil spray. 
• Place the oats, almonds, and coconut in a large bowl, stir to combine. 
• In a medium mixing bowl (or very large measuring cup) whisk together the milk, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, cinnamon, almond extract, and a pinch of salt. 
• Add the milk mixture to the oat mixture and stir, then gently stir in the blueberries. 
• Pour into the prepared dish.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. 
• In a small bowl/container, mix the almonds and coconut flakes together for the topping.  Set aside until morning.

In the morning:

• Remove cover and stir.  Sprinkle on the topping. 
• Place the baking dish in the cold oven.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Once the oven reaches temperature, bake for 45-55 minutes until the center is set and registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer.