Sweet Baked Onion Rings

1 large sweet onion (such as Walla Walla), sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds

½ teaspoon olive oil

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 (8 ounce) package panko bread crumbs, or as needed

Italian seasoning, or to taste

1 teaspoon olive oil, or as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking sheet with olive oil.

Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Place the onion rings into the flour mixture, and thoroughly coat the rings; remove and set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the remaining flour mixture until smooth; dip the floured onion rings into the batter, and lay the rings on wire racks to drip, so that excess batter will drip off the rings. Place aluminum foil or baking pans under racks for easier clean-up.

Stir the panko bread crumbs and Italian seasoning together in a shallow bowl. Gently lay the battered onion rings into the panko crumbs, and press to coat the rings with crumbs on all sides. Lay the coated onion rings on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle additional olive oil on rings, or spray the coated rings lightly using an oil mister.

Bake the onion rings in the preheated oven until the coating is brown and crunchy and the onion is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.