Morning Glory Oats
I’ve been battling a cold for the last few days and I must say… I’m a complete baby. It’s ridiculous that a little fever and a stuffed nose have me straight freaking out that I’m going to suffocate in the middle of the night. Let’s not even talk about all the paper towels I’ve use as tissue, and all the weird home remedies I’ve Googled and actually tried. I’ll tell you now that sucking on raw garlic is worse punishment than a sore throat. I wouldn’t recommend it.
This creamy, sweet, and chewy steel-cut oatmeal was far from punishment. It’s my sniffle-inspired salvation.
You know those Morning Glory muffins you might see at coffee shops? They’re part carrot cake, part morning muffin. Brown sugar, grated carrot, spices, and coconut. We’re throwing all of that in a pot with steel-cut oats. Yes! The new cookbook Whole Grain Mornings has this recipe. That book is a winner!
The oats start with a combination of simmering milk and water.
Add the oats!
After the oats we toss in the sugar, spices, carrots, and currants.
The oats take about 25 minutes to cook down and soften. That’s the perfect amount of time for the carrots to soften and add their bright orange sweetness to the oatmeal. I used currants instead of raisins because that’s what I had on hand. Dried cranberries would also be nice.
After about 25 minutes, the oats are plump and softened, but still have a bite. The carrots are soft and sweet. The currants are moist and have absorbed the oatmeal liquid. It’s pretty perfect!
Finish the oats by sprinkling with brown sugar, toasted coconut, and a drizzle of milk. It’s so comforting, hearty, and filling! This oatmeal is like the Winter version of my Muesli obsession.
I love that the recipe also notes that you can store this batch of cooked oatmeal in the fridge and reheat it in the morning with a bit more milk. I can make it once and eat it for four days! Now we’re talking!
Megan Gordon is the charming author of Whole Grain Mornings as well as the beautiful blog A Sweet Spoonful. She is also creator of Marge Granola and just a really lovely person in general.
Morning Glory Oats
adapted just slightly from Whole Grain Mornings
serves 4
3 cups / 720 ml water
1 cup / 240 ml milk, plus extra for serving
1 cup / 175 g steel-cut oats
1 cup / 100 g grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
1/2 cup / 90 g currants
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup / 25 g unsweetened coconut flakes
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
In a saucepan, bring the water and milk to a gentle boil. Stir in the oats, carrots, currants, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt and return to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and partially cover. Cook the oats stirring just once or twice until it begins to thicken and the oats are soft yet chewy, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut flakes and orange zest. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with an extra glug of warmed milk, if you’d like.