Homemade Instant Oatmeal

I love instant oatmeal. Those little packets are addicting, probably because of the crazy amount of sugar they put in those things! I've had to abstain from buying them because I don't want all that sugar cluttering up my oatmeal. I never thought about making my own instant oatmeal (I really can't explain why not - the thought just never entered my mind), until I purchased The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chernila. Her recipe is simple, delicious and only uses 1/2 cup of brown sugar for 6 cups of oats! I made a slight variation in my version, only pulsing 3 cups of the oats, and combining with 3 cups of whole oats, but the rest is hers. You can add cinnamon, dried fruit, whatever you'd like. I kept it simple here and just went with oats, salt and brown sugar.


Instant Oatmeal
Ingredients

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Dried or dehydrated fruit (optional)
Cinnamon (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 325°. Spread oats on a baking sheet and toast for 20 minutes.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine 4 cups of the toasted oats (I did only 3 cups here), the brown sugar (and cinnamon, if using) and salt. Pulse until the mixture resembles a rough powder.

3. Combine with remaining oats and stir by hand. Pour mixture into an air-tight jar or container, stir in dried fruit (if using), and top with the lid.

4. To make oatmeal, pour 1/2 cup dry mixture into a cereal bowl, add 1/2 - 1 cup boiling water, and stir.

Oatmeal mix keeps in a covered container at room temperature for 4 weeks, in the refrigerator for 3 months, or in the freezer for 6 months.