Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Kelly

Similarly to Jamie of My Baking Addiction , if I am going to eat oatmeal, I generally eat the maple and brown sugar variety that comes in microwavable packet form. And really, I’m not that huge of an oatmeal fan as it is.

Ever since I went apple picking a couple of weeks ago, I have been obsessed with freshly picked apples. I had forgotten how much better they are than normal grocery store Red Delicious apples. I prefer the crispy sweet varieties An added bonus of buying them freshly picked at a market (or picking them yourself) is that you can pick what size apple you want. I am a huge fan of apples that are about 4 or 5 bites worth, they make a perfect snack! Luckily, there is a farmers market near my work on Wednesdays and Saturdays so I can stock up on fresh apples. 🙂

When I saw this recipe, I knew I wanted to make it. Even though I am not a huge fan of oatmeal, the warmth and flavors on a cool fall day were very appealing to me. You can find the recipe here.

I had issues making this recipe. My first time making oatmeal on the stove top did not exactly go smoothly. First issue: when I was opening the bag of steel-cut oats, the bag decided to rip and they flew all over. Really no big deal, but as the first step of a project that I had never done before, it was a little discouraging.

Other issues I had include: using too small of a sauceapan and having to dump contents into a larger saucepan in the midst of cooking, putting too much water in and having the oats be too liquidy, and forgetting to put the spices in until after I added the water to the mix.

Luckily, even with the few mishaps that I had they seemed to turn out ok.

How was my first taste of steel-cut oats? Not bad. The flavor was really good. They tasted very fall-like and comforting with the cinnamon and apples. However, I had to get used to the texture. They are definitely not the same texture as microwaved quick oats. (I didn’t really expect them to be) Although, after I got over the texture issues, they were definitely not bad.

I should also mention that this recipe made a lot more than one serving. I would say, at least 4 or 5. Since I had never cooked oats before, I had no idea going into this how much 1 cup of steel-cut oats makes. I knew they would expand and it would be more than one serving, but I didn’t expect it to make as much as it did. Luckily, they aren’t too bad re-heated as leftovers.

Ease: B-, if you have more experience cooking oats than I do, it might not this hard but I had some difficulties.
Taste: A-, the flavor was good, but I’m not sure about the texture of the steel-cut oats.

Would I make it again? I’m not sure. They definitely are something different than what I’m used to, but I’m not sure if I prefer them over the norm.

Quick Handmade Christmas 2010 update

I’m currently taking a class to learn how to knit mittens! I’m hoping they won’t be too difficult so that I can make some for Christmas presents. So far it is going well. It is my first time knitting on double pointed needles, and I can’t say I love it yet, but it is not as hard as I thought it would be. It seems to get a bit less clumsy once you are about 2-3 inches in.

Here is a sneak peak of one of my mittens in progress: