Apricot, White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Baked Oatmeal

I always sit wondering what to write in these posts when I've created more than one in a day. But it would look weird if I just had tons of pictures and the recipe. As always I'll simply say this was a great breakfast. Based of a blondie recipe.

Not very colourful but it smelt beautiful.

Now I know that both white chocolate AND macadamia nuts aren't as high in nutrients as they are in fat, etc. But a little indulgence in everyday life never hurt anyone. Gooey apricots with some crunch and melty chunks of chocolate might not be the most nutritious of breakfast, but it surely sets you off with a smile.

Apricot, White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Baked Oatmeal

Ingridents:

1/2 Cup/45g Rolled Oats

1/4 Tsp Baking powder

Pinch of Salt

1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract

1/3 Cup/80ml Milk of choice

1 Tsp Maple syrup or sweetener of choice, (Optional, if you've got an extra sweet tooth)

Handful of dried Apricots, chopped

Small handful, 1/8 cup of Macadamia nuts roughly chopped

Handful of White chocolate chips or bar chopped to chunks

Optional: 2 TBSP Flaxseed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4. 

2.Mix on dry ingredients till well combined. Add in the vanilla, sweetener and then the milk, bit by bit till the oats are wet but not sloppy.

3. Fold in the fruit, nuts and chocolate. Pour into a prepared dish and bake for 15-17 minutes. Till the oats are golden and the chocolate has melted.

Jaffa Cake Baked Oatmeal

I love Jaffa Cakes. Their beautiful. And one of the most moreish things on the planet.

If you can't get Jaffa Cakes in your country, their a type of biscuits. Well, legally, and I mean legally, their cakes, as McVitie's had to defend them in court with the UK's VAT Tribunal, as, if classed as cakes us Brit's wouldn't have to pay VAT on the chocolate orange tea time treats. They won. Meaning we all won.

See I do thorough research before I post. And I learn some interesting stuff. I.e that we don't have to pay VAT on cakes BUT we do on biscuits.

Anyway. For those who do not know. They consist of a layer of genoise sponge, topped with a disc of orange flavour jelly and coated in chocolate. Named after Jaffa oranges they are a firm favourite of everyone, child or grown up. So much loved they like Kit Kat's, split people into two camps on just how to eat them. The first, (I.e The weirdos) eat them like normal biscuits in a few bites. The other, first tackle the edges of sponge around the circle of jelly, eat/lick off the chocolate, and peel away the remaining sponge, to finally devour the disc of orangey goodness. I being a proud member of the latter camp, thing the other is just...wrong.

Now as you all know I like to healthify my temptations. Jaffa Cakes were high on my list. I tried once before, attempting to use real orange in place of the jelly and it was disastrous. But after finding a naturally sweetened orange marmalade I knew exactly what I was going to make with it when I got the chance.

I know that the original doesn't have a chocolate sponge layer but I knew that pouring warm chocolate over marmalade was just going to end in a mess. So I thought it through and decided it was best to encase the orange center with something solid. In a way its just like a molten middle baked oatmeal. Something I've done a lot of lately.

Even with this alteration it was the closet imitation of a Jaffa Cake I think I could possibly get to. It was just fantastic.

Jaffa Cake Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/45g Rolled Oats

1/4 Tsp Baking powder

Pinch of Salt

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

1-1 1/2 Tsp Maple syrup or sweetener of choice, to taste

Optional: 2 TBSP Flaxseed

1-2 TBSP Marmalade or orange jam/jelly/preserve

Chocolate layer:

1/2 Tsp Maple syrup or sweetener of choice

1 Tsp Cocoa powder

Chocolate of choice, Dark or milk. Not white. Either chips or bar, you need enough to coat the top.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/ Gas Mark 4.

2. Mix the all the dry ingredients, aside from the cocoa powder until combined. Mix in the vanilla, sweetener and then the milk bit by bit till the oats are wet but not sloppy.

3. Scoop 1 1/2- 2 TBSP of the mixture into another bowl and add the extra sweetener and cocoa. Mix till thoroughly combined, you may have to add more milk to get it to the wet consistency. Taste a little bit. If its to bitter for you add more sweetener.

3. Pour the plain oats into a prepared dish. Make a small well in the center, careful not to go all the way to the bottom and spoon in the marmalade. Don't let it go near the edges or put in too much. Remember your chocolate mixture has to cover it completely. Pour over the chocolate oats. If there's not enough to cover the marmalade AND go all the way to the edges just make sure the filling is covered. Push down the edges of the chocolate mixture lightly so that there isn't any gaps the filling can come out of.

4. Bake for 15-17 minutes or till set enough to remove from the dish and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Heat the chocolate for 30 second blasts in the microwave till smooth. Run a knife around the edges of the oatmeal and very carefully invert onto a plate, quickly turning it the right way up so the filling doesnt squidge out. Pour over the chocolate. Enjoy.

Dark Chocolate Apricot Almond Baked Oatmeal

This combination works. I was questioning it every second up until I tried the final outcome. And was pleasantly surprised. The apricots are gooey, nuts crunchy and the melted chocolate is bitter but perfect.

Dark Chocolate Apricot Almond Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/45g Rolled Oats

1/4 Tsp Baking powder

Pinch of Salt

2 TBSP Cocoa powder

1/4 Tsp Vanilla extract

2 Tsp Maple syrup or sweetner of choice to taste

1/2 Cup/120ml Milk of choice

Handful of dried apricots

Handful of slivered almonds

Handful of dark chocolate chips

Optional: 2 TBSP Flaxseed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Mix all dry ingredients till combined. Mix in the sweetener, vanilla and then the milk bit by bit till the oats are wet but not sloppy. Add in the apricots, almonds and chocolate chips and pour into a prepared dish.

3. Bake for 17-20 minutes.

Coconut Strawberry Thumbprint Baked Oatmeal

Based of a recipe I remeber seeing on 'Barefoot Contessa' this recipe was a last minute recipe. One I made to use up some more of my strawberry jam from the newly discovered naturally sweetened brand.

It's simply a pimped out version of a basic thumbprint baked oatmeal.

Coconut Strawberry Jam Thumbprint Baked Oatmeal

I was craving coconut when I made this up. Use which ever flavour jam you want. Blueberry or raspberry would be fantastic. Or go more creative with plum, pineapple or apricot.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/45g Rolled Oats
1/4 Tsp Baking powder
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract
3 TBSP desiccated Coconut
2 TBSP Jam

Optional: 2 TBSP Flaxseed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180 C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Mix up all the dry ingredients tilll combined. Add the vanilla and then mix in the milk bit by bit till the oats are wet but not sloppy. Add in the 2 TBSP coconut. Pour into a prepared dish. Using a spoon create a well in the center and fill with your chosen jam.
3. Bake for 5 minutes. Take out and sprinkle the rest of the coconut around the jam. Put back in the oven and cook until the oats are set, jam bubbling and coconut toasted and golden.

Chocolate Orange Oatcakes

I have seen this stack made many a time, and decided to post a recipe to my own interpretation. The flavor combination is classic.

You won't be able to taste any banana. Promise. The orange masks it perfectly.

Chocolate Orange Oatcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/45g Rolled Oats
1/4 Tsp Baking powder
Pinch of Salt
2 TBSP Cocoa powder
1/4 Tsp Vanilla extract
1 Banana

Toppings:
Maple Vanilla greek yogurt, 1 TBSP of cocoa powder
Raw chocolate sauce
Orange segments
Cacao nibs

Method:

1. Zest your orange, and segment. Set aside the segments. squeeze the juice from the orange 'carcus' into a glass.
1. Blend Oats, baking powder and cocoa powder to a fine flour, saving the tbsp for adding later.
2. Blend in the banana, vanilla, zest and half the milk at first. Add the orange juice tablespoon at a time till you get the right consistency. It should be thick like paint. Add in the oats and mix in.
3. Heat a pan or griddle over a meduim heat. Once its ready spray with non stick spray.
4. Spoon batter into the pan and smooth into rounds, 1/4 measures or a heaped TBSP is the right size. When bubbles form on the surface and the edges of are set enough to get a spatula underneath flip them over and cook for another minute on the other side. Repeat till on the batter has been used up.
5. Serve layered with toppings of choice. (Mix the cocoa powder with half the yogurt to make chocolate yogurt.)

Raw Chocolate sauce

Raw Chocolate Sauce

Raw in the way that its not cooked, as the maple syrup stops it from begin fully RAW. Obviously you could use the same recipe subbing stevia or any other raw sweetener.

Ingredients:

1-2 TBSP Cocoa powder

2 Tsp Maple syrup

2-3 TBSP Milk of choice

Method:

1. Mix the maple syrup and cocoa powder till combined and smooth.

2. Add the milk to your chosen consistency. Keep it thick or make it into a real sauce.

Apricot Pecan Baked Oatmeal

This was the first time I ever tried dried apricots. Really it was my first real try of apricots. And I like them. Being dried their extremely dense and gooey.

I used naturally sun dried apricots, with nothing added to keep that fake tan. So their mostly browned. And go very well the crunchy, sweet pecans. As I was using dried fruit I left out any sweetener.

Apricot and Pecan Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/45g Rolled Oats

1/4 Tsp Baking powder

Pinch of Salt

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4-1/2 Tsp Orange zest, depending on taste

1/2 Cup/120ml Milk of choice

Handful of dried apricots, chopped

Handful of raw Pecans, roughly chopped

Optional: 2 TBSP Flaxseed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Mix the dry ingredients till well combined. Add the vanilla, zest and then the milk bit by bit till you get the right consistency. You want the oats to be wet but not sloppy. Add in the apricots and pecans. Pour into a prepared dish and push a few pecans into the top. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until the oats are golden and the pecans are toasted. You don't want to leave it in too long or the nuts will burn.

Sweet Potato Nut butter Swirl Baked Oatmeal

Have you ever tried a baked sweet potatoes hot from the oven slathered with nut butter and a hefty dash of cinnamon?

You should.

Its my latest obsession. I eat it nearly every saturday. I take it cold (Its still works. Trust.) to school most days in the week. Its heaven. In golden potato form. 

Sweet potatoes are peng (Slang for hot. Only time I would ever use it.) anyway, I mean beautiful colour, beautiful taste. The juices all carmelized and lushious. Great on the side of any main dish. But you add on a tablespoon or two of nut butter and spice, and it becomes dessert.

Now, I have only ever tried it with peanut, cashew and almond. The latter begin not as fantastic. But still fantastic. I mean its ooey gooey sticky butter coming out of sweet potato. How can that not be fantastic? But it lacked something. Don't know what.

Cashew is my favourite. Peanut taking close second.

So, inspired by The Oatmeal Artists Sweet Potato Pie baked oatmeal, I created this. Oaty, nutty, sweet potato nirvana.

Sweet Potato Nut Butter Swirl Baked Oatmeal

Choose your nut. Any will work. (I have yet to try this with peanut, but I just know it won't disappoint.) Crunchy or smooth. It doesn't matter. This oatmeal is super dense, and sticky, and gooey and... I'm running out of good descriptive words.

P.S Add raw nuts for extra crunch.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/45g Rolled Oats

1/4 Tsp Baking powder

Pinch of Salt

1/2 Tsp Cinnamon, less or more depending on taste

Pinch of nutmeg, leave it out if your not a fan

1 Tsp Maple syrup or sweetener of choice

1/3 Cup of Mashed/pureed Sweet potato

1/2 Cup/120ml Milk of choice

1-2 TBSP Nut butter of choice, I used smooth Cashew

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Mix all dry until combined. Add in potato and syrup and mix. Add in the milk but by bit till you get the right consistency, you want the oats wet but not sloppy. I let it sit for a minute or two till let it thicken naturally then add more milk to bulk it up even more. Add in 1/2 TBSP of your nut butter and mix in. The mix will be dense and thick. Pour into prepared dish and swirl in the rest of the TBSP. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden.

3. Top with more nut butter and enjoy! (I had 2 TBSP at the start but because I had leftover potato too, it didn't stand a chance of lasting.)

Bleeding Eyeball Baked Oatmeal

Its soon to be October, and therefore it's soon to be Halloween. After my birthday of course. And I wanted to get my first 'Halloween special' up onto the blog. There will be one, maybe two more in the next couple of weeks, I'm gonna try to make both a stove top and overnight oat recipe to complete a trifector of ghoulisly good breakfasts.

I got this idea from the many 'Lava Cake' baked oatmeal recipes out there. Like the spicy one I did earlier in the week. Wanting to do something a little out there for my all-hallows eve seasonal specials I thought this would be fun, and a little gross, but still tasty.

It maybe a little extra work, but I think it's worth it.

Doesn't it look cool though?And the best part isn't even the exterior. Cause on this blog, or at least in this post, its whats on the inside that counts. What's oozing out, of the inside to be exact.

Bleeding Eyeball Baked Oatmeal

This oatmeal is perfect for the spooky season, customize it how you want. Pick your poison. So to speak. When it comes to flavouring your base, choose whatever, I used almond extract so it was a little bakewell-ish, but change it up. Coconut extract, almond extract, plain vanilla, throw in a mashed banana, colour it. Go nuts. Add nuts! with a little nut butter or PB2.

For the filling use whatever jam/jelly you want. Be posh and use some weird conserve or preserve if you've got it. I kept it blood coloured with good old strawberry but make your breakfast royal, use blueberry and give 'em 'blue blood'. Its up to you.

And finally the eye colour, I wanted to use a natural colouring and opted for blueberry juice for a violet colour. (Yes, people do have them, I checked.) But try melted chocolate for brown, or spinach for green, if your into that sort of thing, (The veg not the eye colour) or just go super crazy and colourful. Its halloween after all.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/45g Rolled Oats

1/4 Tsp Baking powder

Pinch of Salt

1/3 Cup/80ml Milk of choice

1/4-1/2 Tsp of Almond extract

Optional: 2 TBSP Flaxseed

Filling/bloodvessels:

2 TBSP of jam of choice

Violet iris:

Few thawed blueberries, just the juice is needed, eat the fruit

1 TBSP Yogurt (I used 1 TBSP from my white yogurt (Maple Vanilla greek yogurt)

The 'white':

1 serving of Maple Vanilla greek yogurt, or any white colour yogurt (If using a different one, your only need around 4-5 TBSP

Pupil:

Half a thawed cherry

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Make up your 'white' yogurt if using my recipe. Add 1 TBSP of this into the blueberry juices and mix to make a violet colour. Put both in the fridge to chill.
3. Mix all of dry ingredients, including flax, till combined. Mix in extract of choice, or mashed banana, and then the milk bit by bit, till you get the right consistency, you want the oats to be wet but not sloppy. Spoon half into a prepared dish. Spoon in about 1-11/2 TBSP of the jam into the center. Don't let it go too near the sides. Use your judgement because the rest of your oats will have to cover the jam completely. Pour over the remaining oats and push down on the edges lightly to make sure there isn't a gap between the two halves where jam can seep out. Bake for 15-17 minutes, till set solid and slighlty golden. If jam does come out but its set enough to get it out of the dish take it out of the oven, otherwise let it bake till it is. Let sit for 1-2 minutes then run a knife around the edge and invert onto a plate. You can keep it in the dish but you want get the same oozy effect.
4. Smooth on the 'white' yogurt onto the top, then scoop the 'iris' yogurt into the centre and smooth into a circle. Plop the 'pupil' into the center and with your remaining jam (You can warm it up for a few seconds to make this easier) drizzle on some 'blood-vessels' going towards the iris. Enjoy.

Maple Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Cause I use/mention it to much. Its a extremely simple mix but I don't wish to right it out each time. Use any sweetener you like really, I just have a think for maple. Same for the kind of yogurt. I only use greek cause its extra protein.

Maple Vanilla Greek yogurt

1/3 Cup/100g Greek yogurt, or yogurt of choice

1 Tsp Maple syrup

1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract

Pear and Mint Overnight Oats

Some people hate pears. I used to. I fell out of love with them at a young age, even though they were actually one of my mothers biggest pregnancy cravings. And only began to like them again in the last year or so. Like many fruits and veggies really. I mean I used to detest bananas.

Personally I think their a lot like apples, but much less sweet. Stupidly I left my pear in the fridge all week before making this oatmeal. Every time I saw it I thought "That's for my breakfast thursday." But never did it occur to me that the damn thing won't be ripe for my breakfast thursday if I don't leave it out. So I did what I always do with unripened fruit I desperately need ripe. Put it in a box with some bananas for as long I can and pray. It didn't work its magic this time. So I had to make up the oats the night before and cook the pears down slighlty in the morning. So use a ripe pear. You don't really want steam coming of your fruit as you put it into fridge cold oats.

P.S if when you make your oats, it smells of toothpaste, don't worry. It's supposed to.

Pear and Mint Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/40g Rolled Oats

Pinch of Salt

1/2 Cup/120ml Milk of choice

1 Tsp Maple syrup or sweentener of choice

1/2 Tsp of Peppermint extract

1 Ripe Pear, chopped

1/2 Cup of greek yogurt, or any plain yogurt

2 TBSP of Flaxseed or 1 TBSP Chia seed

Method:

1. Mix all ingridents in a bowl/mason jar/jug. Cover and chill overnight or for at least four hours.

Orange Pecan Stove Top

Orange goes with a lot of things. Have I said that already? Probably. And I'll most probably say it again. Cause its true.

And it goes very, very well with pecans. Add in a pool of thick cut marmalade. And it gets even better.

 Orange and Pecan Stove Top Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/40g Rolled Oats

1 Cup/240ml of liquid, I use half almond milk, half water

1 Orange, zest and segments

Handful of Pecans, raw or toasted (350F/180C/Gas Mark 4, 5 minutes, toss, don't let them burn)

1 heaped TBSP Marmalade

Optional: 1 TBSP Flaxseed

Method:

1. Bring milk to a boil, with almond milk I just heat till steam starts rolling off the top. Add the oats and salt and stir in, reducing the heat to meduim. If adding flax, add it now.

2. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add the orange segments and zest. Once it reaches a consistency you like chop up the pecans, leaving some for topping and stir in, then transfer into a bowl.

3. Either add the marmalade from straight from the jar, or warm in the microwave, or even in the same saucepan and pour into the center. Top with the pecans. Enjoy.

Chocolate Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Carrot cake is good right? Do you know what makes it even better? What makes almost anything else even better? Chocolate. Correct.

I was overjoyed with the outcome of this breakfast. Its a mini-frosted carrot cake. It was delicious. And it got in an extra serving of veggies into my day. You can leave out the frosting. But where's the fun in that. It adds in extra indulgence, as well as extra protein!

I used Green & Black Milk Chocolate, but you can use any. Though better quality will give you a better result.

Chocolate Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup/45g Rolled Oats

1/4 Tsp Baking powder

2 TBSP Cocoa powder

Pinch of Salt

1/3 Cup/80ml Milk of choice

1 Tsp Maple syrup or sweetener of choice

Some handful of Walnuts

1 meduim Carrot, shredded

Chocolate frosting:

2-3 TBSP greek yogurt, or any plain/vanilla/chocolate yogurt

20g of Milk chocolate

Optional: 2 TBSP Flaxseed

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 30 second blasts, stiring after each till smooth. Don't let it burn. Set aside to cool slightly. Add the yogurt TBSP at a time and whip, taste after each addition. You want it to still be strong in chocolate flavour and colour. Put in the fridge to chill.

3. Mix up all dry ingredients till combined. Add in the sweetener and then the milk bit by bit. You want a wet but not sloppy consistency. Mix in the carrot handful at a time, you don't want to add so much that it will crumble when you take it out of the ramekin. Use your own judgement. Add more milk if you need to. Pour into your prepared dish and bake for 17-20 minutes till set solid.

4. Let the oatmeal sit in its ramekin for a minute or two, then run a knife around it and invert onto a plate. You can leave it in the ramekin if you wish but this will make the frosting melt faster. Spread the frosting on top and decorate with a few walnut halves. Enjoy.