Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal

This started as a lazy compromise. I wanted cinnamon rolls, my kitchen wanted less mess, and baked oatmeal happened to be the middle ground. The swirl trick — brown sugar, butter and cinnamon dolloped on top before baking — gives you that same warm bakery smell without any dough handling.

Make it once on a Sunday and you have breakfast sorted until at least Wednesday. It reheats beautifully in the microwave with a splash of milk.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter a 20cm baking dish.
2. Whisk the milk, eggs, maple syrup, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3. Pour the oat mixture into the dish. Mix the swirl ingredients into a loose paste and dot spoonfuls across the top, then drag a knife through in loose figure-eights.
4. Bake for 30–35 minutes until set in the middle and golden at the edges.
5. While it bakes, whisk the cream cheese, icing sugar and milk into a pourable glaze. Drizzle over the warm oatmeal and serve.

Cooking tips

• Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant. Instant oats turn to porridge; steel-cut stay too chewy.
• Fold in a handful of chopped pecans or raisins with the oats for a proper cinnamon-roll vibe.
• Leftovers keep for 4 days covered in the fridge. Reheat individual portions with a splash of milk.

More like this

If you enjoyed this recipe, you'll find more of my favourite breakfast recipes in the archive, or browse the full collection.