Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Make the caramelized apples.  Peel apples and dice them into small, bite sized pieces.  You can make them whatever size you like, but I prefer to make them pretty small so they can fit well on the top of the oatmeal cups.

Step 2

Heat a large pan over medium heat and add butter, apples, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.  Mix together and cook until butter is completely melted.  Next, add the coconut sugar and a splash of water (2-3 teaspoons).  Mix everything together until apples are completely coated with sugar mixture.  Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring once or twice, until sauce has thickened.  Turn heat off and let apples cool while preparing the oatmeal.

Step 3

To a large bowl, add the milk, maple syrup, peanut butter, coconut sugar, flax seed, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.  Whisk everything together until combined and then add the oats in.  Mix again and then let sit for about 10 minutes, until oats have soaked up some of the liquid.

Step 4

Grease a muffin pan well and then use a 1/4 cup scoop to scoop the oatmeal batter into the muffin tin.  A heaping 1/4 cup should use up all the batter when added to all 12 spots of the muffin in.

Step 5

Top each muffin cup with about a tablespoon or so of the caramelized apples and then drizzle any leftover sauce over each muffin cup.  Place oatmeal cups in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until firm to the touch and cooked through.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the muffin pan for about 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.