Bruleed Berry Oats

Oatmeal is something I typically eat when the weather is cooler. There’s just something more comforting about a warm bowl of oatmeal than a ice cold smoothie in the morning.

But oatmeal can get boring. We all know this. Brown sugar and cinnamon. Maple syrup and pecans. Bananas. Peanut butter. Any combination of these. They’re good, but not interesting.

I try to come up with various ways to make it interesting. Baked oatmeal with chocolate and coconut. Or tart cherries. But this one is perhaps my favorite.

It starts with a combo of rolled and steel cut. It takes a minute or two longer, but the texture is firm, not mushy. There are berries, and a bit of sugar. But instead of mixing the sugar in, I put it on top and bruleed it with a torch, so it developed a crispy, crackly crunch like creme brûlée. Topped with fresh berries, it’s like a healthy dessert but also breakfast.

Now, you will need a kitchen torch for this recipe. You can try to broil it, but more than likely it will burn not only the sugar, but also the oats. I have a small torch that I got in a creme brûlée set years ago, and it has come in surprisingly handy.