Two breakfasts in one! A banana and chocolate baked oatmeal that’s also gluten free and vegan.
Banana or chocolate? Something fruity or something chocolatey? What do I want for breakfast!?
Deciding what to eat for my favorite meal of the day is nothing short of an eternal struggle. Even if I’m in a complete rush I’ll still agonize over what I’d like to add to my oatmeal or what I’ll blend into a smoothie.
As breakfast only comes around once a day*, I always want to make the most of it. (Just in case you hadn’t worked out yet that I’m a serious breakfast lover).
*Unless you’re a believer in ‘second breakfast’. Or breakfast for dinner (which is a better invention than sliced bread).
For me, the most difficult question at breakfast time is whether I want something bursting with fresh ‘n’ fruity flavors, or a chocolatey dish that’s basically dessert-for-breakfast.
So sometimes I give up on decision-making and simply have both. Which is why this recipe is half banana, half chocolate, and two breakfasts rolled into one.
Indecisiveness isn’t always a bad thing.
To keep things simple, this baked oatmeal is made by making one banana batter. Then you just scoop half the batter into another bowl and stir in some cocoa powder (you may also wish to stir in some maple syrup at this point). This means that half the oatmeal has a fudgier, brownie-like texture while the other half is more like a mini banana cake.
For the two-flavor effect, you can either swirl the batters, layer them or place them side-by-side. I pretty much just placed mine side-by-side, but swirled them a little in the middle. A little swirlyness is always fun.
Oh, and don’t leave out the chocolate chips. I know I probably always say this, but chocolate chips (dairy-free or otherwise) make everything a hundred times better.
And just so you know, I have a pancake version of this two-flavored baked oatmeal coming to the blog soon. For real.
- 1 very ripe banana
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon blackstrap molasses
- ⅓ cup almond or coconut milk
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- Dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a small ramekin.
- In a small bowl, mash the banana thoroughly. Mix in the vanilla extract, blackstrap molasses and almond (or coconut) milk.
- Add the rolled oats, baking powder and salt, and mix until well combined.
- Transfer approximately half the oatmeal batter to another bowl, and mix in the cocoa powder.
- Pour both oatmeal batters into the prepared ramekin. Either place the batters side-by-side or layer them. If desired, use a knife to swirl the batters. Sprinkle some chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake the oatmeal for 22 - 28 minutes, or until the top is dry and a little firm. Enjoy!
Blackstrap molasses give the oatmeal a slight brown sugar taste. You can omit them or replace them with 1 - 2 teaspoons brown sugar.
Extra sweetness
Depending on the sweetness of your banana, you may wish to add 1 - 2 teaspoons of maple syrup to the chocolate batter.
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