Apple Cranberry Oat Dessert Or "Fall is Coming!"

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back with a delicious Fall recipe. And yes, I know it's not quite Fall yet but it's my favorite season so I celebrate it year round. Sort of like those people who have Christmas trees up all year!

 So, a giant melon from our garden. We had a lot of baby cantaloupe this year, but then this bad boy emerged. Inside it was green-peach and tasted like a honeydew. We don't know what it was but we love volunteers!

 I tried to recreate the rainbow since a friend pointed out that it was in the wrong order... but where is the blue food??

So, let's get to the Apple Cranberry Oat dessert, shall we? The person who sent it to me jokingly said that it "didn't know whether it was a healthy snack or a dessert". It was true. The original called for 1.5 cups of quick oats, marshmallows, 1/2 cup of sugar AND flax seed. Hmmmm... I decided to make it 2 cups of regular rolled oats, lowered the sugar, cut out the flax seed (because I didn't have any), added some walnuts and then put a few marshmallows on for the kids who thought I was ruining the recipe.

Ingredients(my version):

2 c rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbs honey
2 cups milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup cranberries (I used dried but fresh would be fine, too)
2 large apples

 Unbaked, it didn't look super appetizing.

Mix the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar together. Set aside. Mix the honey, milk, egg, vanilla together and then mix with the dry ingredients. Fold in the cranberries and apples. Put into a prewarmed over (375F) and bake for 30 minutes.

 The walnut version. I added a little more honey to this batch and cut the sugar again by about 1/4 cup.

 Mmmmmm. Marshmallows.

 Out of the oven! I was afraid it was going to be dry with all those oats but it was perfect. Like a warm, fragrant, honey-sweet breakfast bar.

My 13 year old son's plate. He added some fresh apples and almonds so it would look healthier. Moms are not fooled!

So, the verdict was.... definitely a winner of a recipe! Bonus: my entire house smells delicious.

Have a wonderful weekend! We're off to the Gem and Mineral Show. It's been a tradition since our kids were babies. The county fair was last week, and the week before was our city shindig, so we're feeling quite festive. :D

Be sure to stop by my author pages at Mary Jane Hathaway and Virginia Carmichael (cover reveals coming soooooon!), or my blog at The Things That Last. Until next time!