Christmas Morning Oatmeal with Ginger Raisin Caramel

Jeff the Chef

A recipe for a festive and delicious Christmas morning oatmeal that uses a caramel sauce made from orange peel, raisins, ginger, vanilla, and spices. A perfect holiday breakfast!

Christmas Morning Oatmeal with Ginger Raisin Caramel
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Christmas Morning Oatmeal with Ginger Raisin Caramel

Recipe by Make It Like a Man!Course: BreakfastCuisine: American
Makes

1.5

cups

Ingredients

  • 1 orange

  • 7 oz. (1 cup) granulated sugar

  • 8 oz. (1 cup) water

  • 1½ oz. (¼ cup) golden raisins

  • 1 oz. (a 2½-inch piece) fresh (unpeeled) ginger, sliced as thinly as possible

  • 1 vanilla bean sliced in half lengthwise

  • 1 star anise

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 2 tbs butter

  • Prepared oatmeal, for serving

  • Cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

  • Use a vegetable peeler to remove and then mince the peel from one half of the orange. Set the minced peel aside and eat the orange.
  • Heat the sugar and water over a medium-high flame (setting 4 of 9), stirring until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.
  • Stir in minced peel, raisins, ginger, vanilla, anise, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook without stirring until the liquid is quite thick, almost boils dry, and begins to lightly caramelize. Off heat, stir in butter.
  • Scoop a heaping tablespoonful (more or less to taste) into a single serving of prepared oatmeal, avoiding or discarding the cinnamon and anise as you come upon them. (Drizzle with cream.) Store remaining caramel in the refrigerator.

Notes

  • Substitutions: thinly sliced dried apricots, prunes, and/or dried pears for (or inaddition to) the raisins; half-and-half or milk for the cream
"Christmas Morning Oatmeal with Dried-Fruit Caramel," from Make It Like a Man!

Social Learning: tips & tricks

This dried-fruit caramel seems even better once it’s been refrigerated overnight. If you want to return it to a liquid state before use, heat it in the microwave or on the stovetop. However, this isn’t necessary. It will easily blend with a hot bowl of oatmeal with just a bit of stirring. Or if you make your oatmeal in the microwave (see below), you can plop the caramel into the bowl before microwaving and stir afterward.

Prefer a butterscotch to a caramel? Substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar.

There are many ways to make oatmeal.

Here’s my go-to method: scoop a moderately heaping 1/3-cupful of old-fashioned oats into a cereal bowl. Add 1/3 of milk and 1/3 cup of water. Add a heaping tablespoonful of ginger raisin caramel. Microwave for 3 minutes at 90% power.

Watch carefully; the mixture could boil over. The size, shape, and material of the bowl seems to have a huge impact on this. If you do experience problems, use a different bowl next time, or lower the power percentage on the microwave (in which case you may have to increase the timing).

Like a larger or smaller serving of oatmeal? Switch to a 1/2-cup or a 1/4-cup measure for the oats, milk, and water. Like your oatmeal thicker or thinner? Add or subtract from the microwave timing.

The Backstory

This recipe is a spin-off of one of my favorite cocktails.

If you make the cocktails (not for breakfast, or course … but then I guess it depends on what time you get up), you’ll wind up with most of the ingredients you need for this ginger raisin caramel. The cocktail recipe suggests that you discard those ingredients, but if you’d rather use them to make this ginger raisin caramel, don’t crush the spices as the cocktail recipe indicates. That way, once you’ve strained the cocktail syrup, you can use the strained solids for Step 2 of this recipe. Add the minced peel and continue with the remaining steps.

If you make the ginger raisin caramel from what’s left over from making the cocktail syrup, you will have bled off a lot of the ingredients’ flavors before you make the caramel, but the ingredients have so much flavor that this is a negligible concern.

Outro

You could add this ginger raisin caramel to a bowl of oatmeal at any time of year, although this blend of spices seems Christmassy to me. I can just about guarantee that if you serve this in the morning to overnight Christmas guests, it will be one of the highlights of their time with you. It’s quite amazing the way it elevates a simple bowl of oatmeal.

"Christmas Morning Oatmeal with Dried-Fruit Caramel," from Make It Like a Man!
Christmas Morning Oatmeal with Ginger Raisin Caramel

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #15 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.

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39 thoughts on “Christmas Morning Oatmeal with Ginger Raisin Caramel”

  3. Am laughing! I do consciously try and avoid sugar for health reasons, but, looking at the flavours combined here . . . temptation is rising to try . . . and, re-reading the amount of ginger raisin caramel you use per serving . . . hmm . . . thanks!

    Reply

  7. I am not much of an oatmeal eater, but I am sure I would lvoe it with this Ginger Raisin Caramel. In fact, I can think of many uses for the caramel –It’s a beautiful combination, Jeff. Merry Christmas! I hope Santa was good to you two!

    Reply

    • I’m not quite sure how I developed such an love of oatmeal, but I’ve loved it since I was a kid. It’s one of my most common breakfasts. But as you said, I’m sure it could be put to many other uses … like maybe a garnish for spice cake!

      Reply

  8. My mother used to make oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar. This takes oatmeal to another level. Merry Christmas, Jeff.

    Reply

    • Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts, and raisins and brown sugar is one of my go-tos, so I think I’d’ve gotten along quite well with your mother’s breakfast!

      Reply

  13. I am in love with your fabulous ginger raisin caramel. Oatmeal is my go to morning staple, but you’ve taken it to the next level with these enticing new flavors. YUM!

    Reply

  14. Your porridge would be perfect for our Winter Jeff, and would have been lovely over Christmas. The ginger raisin caramel would be just perfect. I am noting that recipe for later.

    Reply

  15. Voilà un petit déjeuner bien sain pour démarrer du bon pied un lendemain de fêtes, merci pour votre visite, tous mes vœux pour la nouvelle année.

    Reply

    • Thank you! It’s just a bit decadent, so I guess it’s a nice step down towards something more ordinary now that the holidays are over. (Although I still have my Christmas tree up, so…)

      Reply

  16. I love that this oatmeal recipe is a riff on your favorite cocktail! I wonder if I could make bourbon oatmeal? Hah – I kid! The spices in this one sound fantastic. Christmas might be over, but it’s a cold and rainy morning here in the mountains…perfect for a bowl of oatmeal!

    Reply

    • I’m not sure if I’d prefer cold and rainy to freezing and snowing, which is what’s happening where I am. The snow looks beautiful, but you have to shovel it.

      Reply

  19. This Christmas Morning Oatmeal with Ginger Raisin Caramel sounds absolutely delightful and is such a festive twist on a classic breakfast. The combination of spices, ginger, vanilla, star anise, and cinnamon—paired with the sweetness of raisins and orange peel creates a rich, aromatic caramel that’s perfect for holiday mornings. Yum! and Happy New Year to you and your family

    Reply

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