CREAMY CHOCOLATE AND CINNAMON OATMEAL

If there’s one thing that’ll make me drag my butt out of bed, it’s breakfast. It’s the balm that soothes even the longest night spent trying to rationalise with your toddler. Or husband. 

Now couple that with chocolate and suddenly you know not just why you should wake up, but what this whole life business is about: the pleasure of a good thing; a delicious thing—a thing so sublime and yet simple you could write poetry about it (or just have seconds). 

Philosophically, this ‘good thing’ could be anything; but for me, the said good thing is more tangible—though no less existentially imperative: a molten swirl of chocolate in my breakfast bowl.

So here goes my favourite(est) oatmeal recipe so far. 

Dig out your biggest spoon, friend.

This recipe looks like exponential indulgence, but actually, the ingredients more invoke the chocolatey flavour and creaminess—cocoa and banana—while keeping the brekkie healthy. And, properly dark chocolate is good for you anyway; so no penance necessary for the topping either. 

A word on cocoa versus cacao: cocoa is more processed than cacao, but since you’re cooking with the ingredients, and so breaking down the enzymes, the difference in nutritional content is less of a point than the difference in flavour—cacao is deeper, more bitter, and closer to dark chocolate than cocoa. I use both interchangeably, depending on what’s in my pantry. If you don’t want to go as hardcore ‘raw’ in taste as cacao, but like the idea of a more full-bodied chocolateyness, Dutch-process cocoa, which has its acidity levels neutralised, is pretty delicious, too. I like this one.

CREAMY CHOCOLATE AND CINNAMON OATMEAL

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• Prep Time: 15
• Total Time: 15
• Yield: 1 1x

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Too early for chocolate? NEVER. Molten dark choc puddled in creamy, cocoa-rich oatmeal.

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Ingredients

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 medium banana, well mashed
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1–3 tbsp honey or maple syrup*
• 1–2 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder, to taste (like this one)
• 1 heaped tbsp cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 2 tbsp dark chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, use a wooden spoon to stir together oats, banana, milk, honey or maple syrup, cinnamon, cocoa powder and salt. Simmer on a medium heat, stirring every now and then, until the oats are tender (around 5 or so minutes). Add dashes of more milk if the oats aren’t yet cooked, but the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Taste. Add more honey or maple syrup if you desire. Spoon into your bowl, tumble over the chocolate bits and allow them to melt a little. Then swirl through the oatmeal. Throw in a bit more for extra indulgence. Happy morning!

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Notes

• Use three tablespoons if your bananas are not overly ripe, one if they’re very spotty.  
• NO-COOK CHEAT TIP: skip the stovetop and turn this into overnight oats by combining all ingredients except the chocolate bits together, and refrigerating overnight. In the morning, simply heat up in the microwave, and crumble your choccie over the piping-hot beauty to melt.