The Best Oatmeal Bake EVER

I have run through a few different phrases in my head to describe just how good this chocolate banana oatmeal bake is. Screw it, here’s a slew of them:

I made this for breakfast and my mouth is still watering just looking at it.

I literally ate this alone, watching Sports Center, and was saying to myself, outloud, “This is the best thing I’ve ever created” the whole time.

I should not have eaten the whole thing. But I did. And I don’t regret it.

It is incredible right out of the oven, but I still enjoyed each bite of it when it became cold.

And etc. etc. etc.

Oh - another disclaimer. This is not a typical healthy breakfast. You’re going to need to run this one off. Or spend all day sitting on the couch, updating your blog and watching ESPN. Either way.

First, preheat your oven to 350 and gather your ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cup oats (really - I don’t care what kind you use. Many folks will claim you need quick-cooking, but I prefer the hearty texture of old-fashioned)
1 tbl brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinncamon
1 tbl miniature dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds and walnuts)
a half of a banana
2 tbl Earth Balance, melted

Mix together all your dry ingredients (or, everything but the Earth Balance and banana). In a separate bowl, mash up the banana with a fork or with your fingers. Add to the melted Earth Balance, and whisk together well. Add to the dry ingredients. Mix well, and pour into an oven-safe serving bowl.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

While your oatmeal is baking, throw together a sauce to go on top. Here’s what I used:

2 tbl chocolate sauce (it’s not hard to make this stuff from scratch, I just cheated and had some left over from my ice cream indulgence last night. I used a bourbon chocolate sauce and it was divine.)
1 tbl natural peanut butter
2 tsp sugar
1-2 tbl hot water

You’re more than welcome to heat this in a saucepan over low heat, but since we already admitted to using store-bought chocolate sauce, hell, why not just mix with hot water until it becomes cohesive. Your oatmeal bake will be warm enough.

When it comes out of the oven, try not to pee your pants. Pour the chocolate peanut butter sauce over your oatmeal bake until just barely covered. Holy hell. There are not words. It’s so good. You guys. 

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Chocolate Cups

Harry Potter Night part 2!

My paleo roommate was especially delighted with these, which are paleo AND vegan. Not too tricky to figure out, but take plenty of coconut oil to make so they’re pretty pricey. I got the chocolate recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie.

So make this chocolate (though you’ll definitely need more than it calls for - I doubled it). Lay out paper cupcake liners. (This recipe made about…. well… as many as you see on the plate there.) Fill the liners with only as much chocolate as will cover the bottoms. Then stick them in the freezer for 20 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Here’s what you’ll need:

1/2 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1 tbl maple almond butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix it all together and BAM you have your filling.

Now you may remove those dudes from the freezer and fill them with your sweet potato pumpkin mash. Spoon just a teeny bit onto the frozen bottom of those cupcake liners. Then pour enough chocolate to cover the filling. Freeze again.

20 minutes later, remove from the freezer and serve to your roommates. Unless you’re a GEE DEE Slytherin. Then you keep them in the freezer without your roommates knowing, and remove them only when someone offers to refill your glass with spiked butterbeer. Keep them close though. Don’t get too generous.

Thankfully I’m a Hufflepuff so I say CHOCOLATE FOR ALL.