Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Squares

These very moist carrot and oatmeal squares have a breakfast-meets-bread pudding vibe. They’re just sweet enough with the amount of brown sugar I use in the recipe.

However, you can increase that amount to 1/2 cup if you are craving a dessert vibe. Or, reduce the brown sugar to 1/4 cup for a more wholesome breakfast that will energize your day. Photo: Andrew Grinton

Makes: 9 servings
Free of: gluten and all top allergens

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups gluten-free quick oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups allergy-friendly unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 4 to 5 medium carrots)
1/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
1/3 cup pineapple juice (from the can of crushed pineapple)
1/3 cup raisins
2 tbsp rice bran, grapeseed or canola oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F and grease an 8 x 11-inch or 9 x 9-inch baking dish.
Place oats, sugar, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
Add to the mixture: milk beverage, carrots, pineapple, pineapple juice, raisins, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and level out.
Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool completely before carefully cutting into squares. Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 3 days, or individually wrap and freeze. They will fluff up a bit when reheated.

Optional Spreads

Soften allergy-friendly, dairy-free cream cheese alternative or sunflower seed butter by whipping it. Spread on baking oatmeal squares before serving and sprinkle with ground cinnamon or nutmeg. For a sweet spread, make my Sweet “Cream Cheese” Topping recipe here.

Alisa Fleming is a contributing editor to Allergic Living magazine and the author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance and Casein Free Living, and founder of http://www.godairyfree.com