Recipe for Oatmeal Breakfast Tarts

A few weeks ago, I went to a cooking class taught by Joy the "grain lady". It was my second class from her. I loved both classes, and have learned more than I ever could imagine about grains and using my grain mill. And, her recipes are AMAZING! I haven't tried one yet that I don't absolutely love. So today, I thought I'd share one that is a new family favorite: Oatmeal Breakfast Tarts.

Oatmeal Breakfast Tarts
From Joy E. (aka The Grain Lady)

6 T butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 c old-fashioned rolled oats (ground for 30 seconds in food processor or blender)
1/3 c white quinoa flakes (or subsitute an additional 1/3 c ground rolled oats)
1 T flaxseed meal
2/3 c wheat flour
2 T orange juice

Beat the butter and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the baking powder and salt. Add the old-fashioned rolled oats, ground oats, quinoa flakes, flaxseed meal, wheat flour, and orange juice, making sure to combine until the dough starts to clump.

Spray six 4-inch tart pans or one 11-inch and one 4-inch tart pan with non-stick cooking spray. Press the dough into the tart pans makine sure to cover the sides of the pan and keeping the bottom smooth.

Place tart pans on a large cookie sheet. (This will help you move the pans in and out of the oven as well as prevent over-browning the crust.) Bake at 350 degrees F for 14 minutes. Do not overbake.

Store tarts that have been baked and cooled in an airtight container. They will stay soft and chewy for up to one week.

To serve, spread vanilla yogurt in the shell and top with fresh or frozen fruit of your choice. Some suggestions that we like are sliced strawberries or bananas, mandarin oranges, or frozen blueberries. Joy also suggests throwing on a few mini chocolate chips just for fun.

Each 4 inch tart has: 12 g sugar (less than a serving of Quaker Instant Oatmeal which has 13 g), 1 T butter, and 2 g fiber (slightly more than a slice of whole wheat toast).

So you may be wondering about the tart pans. Here's a picture of what I use (click on the picture for a link to where to get them). The removable bottom makes it way too easy to get the tart out of the pan in one piece. I actually bought mine from the local kitchen specialty store where I took the class, and if you are going to make these again and again like I do, I highly recommend them.

And, finally, here's a picture of the finished product. I usually just throw on the fruit, but for the beauty of the blog, I made it pretty. Happy cooking!