I need to go back to all my chocolate baked oatmeals and redo them. I need to fix them knowing what I know now. I must improve them…ASAP…because I now know the secret to a banana-less, applesauce-less baked oatmeal.
It’s avocado. AVOCADO! Duh! Why didn’t I think of that earlier? Avocado is used all the time as a replacement for butter and eggs in vegan baking. Ugh! I could have saved myself from so many unnecessary banana flavors.
This trick worked like a charm for this recipe. I was too lazy to drag out my food processor, so I just mashed the heck out of this avocado and mixed it by hand with the other ingredients. Before adding the oats and cranberries, I tasted the chocolate-avocado mixture…and it’s like PUDDING. It reminded me of the dairy-free pudding I often make when I have avocado to use up…but without the banana!
This recipe was inspired by these Cranberry Brownies from A Family Feast. I loved the idea behind them–sweet mixed with tart–as well as the look of the little cranberries bursting within that dense brownie. I knew it would make a wonderful baked oatmeal!
What you'll need:
- 1/3 a ripe avocado
- 1/3 cup milk of choice, or water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 heaping tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
- 1/3 cup fresh cranberries
- handful of chocolate chips (optional)
How to make it:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a single-serving ramekin with non-stick spray.
- Mix together avocado, milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and salt by either pureeing in a mini food processor or mashing thoroughly with a fork (lengthy process, but gets the job done).
- Stir in baking powder and oats. Once combined, stir in cranberries. You could also stir in chocolate chips! (I bet white chocolate chips would be great, too.)
- Transfer to the ramekin and bake for 22-25 minutes. The cranberries should start to pop and release their juices.
Just an FYI:
*Update: You can sub zucchini or yellow squash in for the avocado. Fill 1/2 a cup with diced zucchini and puree it.
**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account! You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!
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