A berry brownie in the form of a single serving baked oatmeal that’s dairy free, vegan and easily gluten free.
When I was a kid, I was faced with a major dilemma every time we stopped for ice cream: chocolate or berry? Do I want a scoop of double chocolate chip, or boysenberry? Chocolate? Berry? Chocolate? Berry? Oh, why can’t I get both?
To avoid such a dilemma, these days I love berries and chocolate together, the way it was always meant to be. So today’s recipe is basically a baked oatmeal version of a chocolate chip berry brownie. While it’s more common to eat a raspberry brownie (rather than a mixed berry brownie), the way I see it, the more berries the better.
(And yes, I was tempted to end that last sentence with ‘the more the berrier’).
I haven’t posted too many single-serving baked oatmeal recipes recently, simply because I love the convenience of making a big batch one morning, and then reheating it throughout the week. But, lo and behold, today’s recipe just serves one. After all, practically no-one likes to share a brownie.
And good news if you can’t have dairy and/or are vegan, because this baked oatmeal is dairy-free. Pumpkin puree adds lots of moisture, almond milk works just as well as cow’s milk, and there’s no need for eggs. This recipe also calls for dark chocolate chips, which are usually dairy-free (but double-check the ingredients label if you’re avoiding dairy).
While you can use frozen berries in this recipe, they tend to ‘bleed’ their colour a lot more than fresh berries (which is just an aesthetic issue). If you do use frozen berries, don’t be surprised if the oatmeal takes about 5 minutes longer to cook.
By the way, this baked oatmeal is pretty easygoing when it comes to baking times. Since the pumpkin keeps the oatmeal moist, it’s pretty difficult to over-bake this one. So if you’re uncertain about whether it’s done, give it a few more minutes in the oven.
Fun Fact: Milk chocolate covered potato chips exist. Really.
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon blackstrap molasses
- ⅓ cup almond milk
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup berries
- 1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 1-cup capacity ramekin.
- In a bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla extract and blackstrap molasses. Stir in the almond milk.
- Add the rolled oats, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined. Gently fold in the berries and dark chocolate chips.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared ramekin. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the top is dry and a little bit firm.
It's pretty difficult to over-bake this oatmeal, so if you’re uncertain about whether it's done, give it a few more minutes in the oven.
If using frozen berries, don’t be surprised if the oatmeal takes about 5 minutes longer to cook.
Blackstrap molasses
Blackstrap molasses add a slight brown sugar taste to the oatmeal. If you don't have any blackstrap molasses, either omit them or add a teaspoon of brown sugar.
Gluten-free
To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure you use certified GF oats.
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