The baked oatmeal version of Almond Joy candy: a coconut filling covered in chocolate, plus almonds!
It’s National Candy Day!
I don’t know who makes up these days, or why they’d have Candy Day five days after Halloween. But if it’s an excuse to share my love of chocolate for breakfast, then I’m on board.
After making Peanut Butter Cup Baked Oatmeal and Snickers Baked Oatmeal I’ve been eager to create more candy-inspired baked oatmeals.
A mini cake that tastes like a giant piece of candy? That’s me all over. Especially since I’m counting this as a breakfast food.
So, first of all, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. If you’ve never eaten an Almond Joy, the candy consists of a sweet coconut filling topped with a whole almond, all covered in milk chocolate.
Since you get two Almond Joys in a packet, this recipe makes two.
(Okay, it was also so I could eat one immediately and photograph the other one later).
Since its November, I couldn’t resist including pumpkin in this breakfast – although you can’t taste it. The pumpkin purée is simply there to give the chocolate oatmeal a brownie-like texture.
Then we get to the coconut filling. It’s made from a mixture of oats (obviously), shredded coconut, milk and Greek-style yogurt. If you have vanilla or coconut Greek-style (thick) yogurt, that works best. However, plain is A-OK as long as you don’t skimp on the maple syrup.
On the other hand, if you’re using quite a sweet yogurt, you may be able to leave the maple syrup out of the filling altogether. It really just depends on the type of yogurt you’re using, and how sweet your tooth is.
If you’d like to make this baked oatmeal dairy-free and vegan, then coconut yogurt (i.e. yogurt made from coconut milk) would be the best substitution for the dairy yogurt. Otherwise, try another non-dairy yogurt (soy, almond, etc).
Candy lovers may have noticed something about this baked oatmeal: to be in-line with actual Almond Joys, the almonds really should be covered by chocolate batter. But the oatmeal just looks so much prettier with the almonds on top.
Given we are talking about baked oatmeal, I’m sure we can deal with a few authenticity problems for the sake of prettiness, no?
Before I give you the recipe, I have an announcement! Thanks to Peanut Butter & Co. and Bob’s Red Mill I was lucky enough to host a giveaway, as outlined in my post for Peanut Butter Surprise Baked Oatmeal.
To decide the winner, I gave all commenters a number (1 for the first commenter, 2 for the second, etc – not including replies). I then used a random number generator to pick the winner.
And the winner is… Laura! Uh, the second Laura (sorry Laura O!). If your name is Laura and you entered the giveaway, go check your email inbox!
I hope everyone has a wonderful (and delicious) Candy Day!
Saturday is also Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day, so I consider that another reason to make this baked oatmeal (technically it doesn’t involve bittersweet chocolate, but close enough).
By the way, if there are any other candy bars you’d like to see an oatmeal version of, please let me know!
- For the chocolate batter
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup milk of choice
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
For the coconut batter- 2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt
- 2 tablespoons milk of choice
- 2 - 3 teaspoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
To assemble- Whole almonds
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two ramekins.
- In a bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Add the rolled oats, baking powder and salt, and mix until well combined.
- In another bowl, combine the yogurt, milk and maple syrup. Add the rolled oats, shredded coconut, baking powder and salt, and mix until well combined.
- Divide half the chocolate batter between the prepared ramekins. Divide the coconut batter better the two ramekins, placing it in the center of each ramekin.
- Divide the remaining chocolate batter between the ramekins, making sure the coconut batter is completely covered. Top each ramekin with some whole almonds.
- Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the tops are dry and a little firm. If removing the baked oatmeals from the ramekins, allow them to cool for 5 minutes first. Enjoy!
By 'Greek-style yogurt', I simply mean use a thick yogurt (whether authentically Greek or not). Ideally, use a vanilla or coconut-flavored yogurt.
Ramekins
I used 1 cup (8oz) capacity ramekins.
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