I have always dreamed of visiting the lavender fields in the South of France, and someday I hope to go there. For now, I just close my eyes and smell these apricot lavender oats baking and imagine I am in France! After taking a French cooking class earlier this summer where we made a lavender-infused creme brulée, I was inspired to bake something infused with lavender. We had apricots at our house, which are such a great summer fruit, and I thought I would try combining the flavors of apricot and lavender. It turned out amazing and smelled delicious as well - I wish there was a candle of this smell!
Here's how to make this recipe:
Notes: The volume of the milk will decrease slightly after heating, which is why I recommend starting with about ⅔ cup so that after heating it will be about ½ cup, which is what you need. If you aren’t a fan of lavender, you can make this without the lavender and then it is not necessary to heat the milk, just add ½ cup milk to the rest of the ingredients.
Ingredients
½ cup rolled oats
1/2 mashed banana
About ½ cup chopped fresh apricots
About ⅔ cup milk
2 tsp lavender
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of salt
Steps
1. Lightly oil an oven safe dish and preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Pour the milk and lavender into a pot. Heat on the stove while stirring for 15-20 minutes.
3. Strain out the lavender flowers and pour the lavender-infused milk into a mixing bowl.
4. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. If the mixture seems too dry, you can add more milk.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and bake for 25-30 minutes.
6. While baking, close your eyes and breathe in the heavenly aroma and pretend you are in France - this is a mandatory step in my opinion. Once the oats are done baking, the top will be golden brown and slightly caramelized, and the insides will still be slightly soft - I love this texture juxtaposition!
7. Let cool and bon appétit!