I thought the reference to Chocolate Oatmeal was a left-field, Internet one-off. Then I started performing due diligence, researching the phenomenon. And it turns out that Chocolate Oatmeal is a real ‘thing…
According to Chocolate Oatmeal evan-gelist Justine Doiron, the phenomenon is more than just a fad – even a legiti-mate culinary trend. It’s become an instant institution among its fans. And its fast becoming a legend in its own time…
Chocolate for breakfast
Ah… Chocolate for breakfast… The un-requited dream of kids in my generation who hated plain cereals – no matter how much milk and sugar you put on them. But Mom insisted that cereal was a ‘proper breakfast’.
Now, in the wisdom of my years, I can’t help wondering how I ever survived to adulthood eating cereal with sugar and toast with jam almost every weekday morning during my elementary school years. Carbs on top of carbs, on top of carbs, on top of carbs… The epitome of an unbalanced diet. At least there was milk – in the bowl and in a glass. My sole source of vitamins, minerals and other es-sential nutrients.
Oatmeal on the weekend
Most of my friends hated oatmeal. But I thought it was heads above, and yards (now metres) ahead of corn flakes. Or even raisin bran. I put that down to my Scottish heritage. Mom was always keen to remind me that she had oatmeal every morning for breakfast when she was a kid my age, ‘and look how well I turned out’. I loved the texture of properly-made oatmeal (thick, creamy and pudding-like) with just a little milk and a spoonful of brown sugar to meld with its naturally nutty flavour…
But I never, in my wildest dreams, thought there was any chance of ever enjoying my two favourite things in the same spoonful!
The dream come true
Chocolate Oatmeal is, for me, the realization of a childhood dream I never thought had the slightest chance of coming true.
If brown sugar made magic with the natural, umami nuttiness of oats, chocolate performs a flavour miracle. And the way the recipe posters I’ve seen make theirs, it’s a healthy miracle, too.
Just consider the oats themselves: Non-processed whole grain, full of protein and fibre, bursting with vitamins and minerals!
The problem with chocolate
The problem with chocolate, in its conventional forms, is the added sugar and fat. The cocoa base itself is full of good things like polyphenols that fight inflammation and bolster heart health. Maybe even help fight cancer. Just like coffee – whose roasted beans look suspiciously like cocoa beans. Is there some secret, ancient familial link between the two? A question for another day, and another post…
Three principle techniques
Chocolate Oatmeal aficionados maintain there are three main approaches to attaining perfection in their chosen crave:
- Hot on the Stovetop: Cook rolled oats with your favorite milk (or water), stirring in unsweetened cocoa powder, a splash of vanilla, and a sweetener like maple syrup or honey.
- Overnight in the fridge: Combine oats, cocoa powder, milk, and chia seeds in a jar, then let it sit in the fridge overnight for a grab-and-go cold breakfast.
- Baked in the oven: Mix oats with cocoa, milk, and an egg, then bake it in the oven for a texture that tastes more like cake.
Enter, Justine Doiron…
Justine suggests yet another way to make Chocolate Oatmeal. One which I feel deserves special attention…
“This healthy hot chocolate oatmeal is about to become your new favorite breakfast,” she boasts. “It’s rich, chocolatey, and comforting, yet made with whole-food ingredients that fuel your body and keep you full all morning.”
“[It] tastes like European-style hot chocolate poured over creamy oats. Instead of refined sugar or packaged cocoa mixes, it relies on banana, dates, cocoa powder, and milk to create a naturally sweet, decadent chocolate sauce. The result is a breakfast that feels like dessert, but delivers fibre, potas-sium, and long-lasting energy.”
Without getting too deep into the nitty gritty, Justine’s method consists of making oatmeal the usual way… Then pouring over it a ‘hot chocolate’ mixture that incorporates milk, cocoa powder, bananas, dates and maple syrup.
I’ll bet your brain is overheating, just trying to imagine what that tastes like!
My take
Given all the accepted methods for making Chocolate Oatmeal, I have to endorse Justine’s Hot Chocolate technique as far and away the best I’ve yet encountered. And probably the healthiest.
And Chocolate Oatmeal may just be the way to get oatmeal haters to love the stuff!
~ Maggie J.