Who here loves chocolate and coconut together?
So I was thrilled one day to taste Kashi's Cocoa Beach granola. It was amazing! We got it really cheap somewhere, but at full-price it is definitely not something we can afford on our budget. So I thought, how can I recreate this at home? But alas, according to Nourishing Traditions, granola is not very healthy because the oats are not soaked and then they are baked at a very high heat. (I do still eat granola from time to time, despite this sad news.) I made one attempt at a chocolate granola but despite how much cocoa the recipe called for, I still couldn't taste it. Weird - I know. I didn't want to spend a lot of time trying to figure out a perfect replica for Cocoa Beach granola when I could do what I do best; turn it into a baked oatmeal!
And the idea was born.
And another baked oatmeal recipe come into this world...
Because baked oatmeal can be the healthy eater's primary alternative to boxed cereal, I always want to use the healthiest ingredients possible. Like cane sugar, for example. But I will try to include a second ingredient option for those who might not have all these items on hand. Since baked oatmeal overall is so much better for you than boxed cereal, it is still better to eat it with the second ingredient option. I don't want to discourage anyone from making this easy breakfast a regular part of your diet because you don't have cane sugar or rolled oats.
This particular recipe calls for coconut milk which makes it more costly than some of my baked oatmeal recipes. But because of that it is very rich and ends up making more servings than your average baked oatmeal that calls for a similar quantity of ingredients. So it is still pretty economical.
This particular recipe calls for coconut milk which makes it more costly than some of my baked oatmeal recipes. But because of that it is very rich and ends up making more servings than your average baked oatmeal that calls for a similar quantity of ingredients. So it is still pretty economical.
Cocoa Beach Baked Oatmeal
2 eggs1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons whole cane sugar or regular sugar*
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (not light)
2 cups rolled oats or quick cooking oats
4 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut, divided*
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine the eggs, coconut oil and cane sugar. Whisk together until well incorporated. Add the vanilla and coconut milk and whisk until smooth. Dump in the oats and 2 tablespoons dried coconut. Don't stir just yet. Place salt, baking powder and cocoa powder in a small sieve and sift over the oats. Stir everything until combined. Poor into a 9x9 inch baking pan greased with a little coconut oil. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons dried coconut over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Serve by itself or with milk, or additional coconut milk poured on top.
*If you do not have unsweetened shredded coconut you may use the normal sweetened coconut that is more readily available. If so, reduce the amount of sugar by one tablespoon.
*If you do not have unsweetened shredded coconut you may use the normal sweetened coconut that is more readily available. If so, reduce the amount of sugar by one tablespoon.
Preparation time: 10 minutes. Bake time: 30 minutes. Servings: 8-9.
This recipe can be gluten-free by using certified gluten-free oats.
(I do plan to try to make a soaked version of this one day, but because it contains coconut milk and not yogurt, it will take a certain amount of creativity to come of with a soaked recipe that has the same flavor.)
Search terms:
Baked oatmeal with coconut milk
Chocolate and coconut baked oatmeal
Dairy free baked oatmeal
Baked oatmeal with coconut oil
This recipe was featured on Tropical Traditions coconut recipe blog(!).
This sounds amazing! I LOVE coconut and have been using coconut oil and milk a lot lately. We are going to try this (but I may have to double this for my large crew! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melodie! Keep them comin'
In Christ, Laura
I'm trying to bake NT soaked Muesli with whey (pg 457) today. I've not tried baking soaked grains yet. I wonder if you could substitute some (or all) of the water with coconut milk? The reason for soaking, esp. in oatmeal is because of high phytates, you may know that already, I knew soaking was the best way to prepare grains/beans etc. but I did not understand why until recently, as we've been researching how to heal Tabby's cavities. Phytates are terrible for teeth and bones.
ReplyDeleteChristine, I have been doing quite a bit of baking with soaked grains recently for many things except bread (we don't eat much loaf bread). I have had a lot of success and am learning how to make a number of soaked baked goods that taste great. I will soon be sharing my basic baked oatmeal recipe that is soaked. I feel soaking is an easy way for me to increase our nutrition without adding any additional cost to our budget.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I have read that soaking oatmeal does not work nearly as well to remove phytates as soaking other grains. But I still think it is good to do when you can. This is an interesting article on that topic: http://www.rebuild-from-depression.com/blog/2010/02/oatmeal_phytic_acid.html.
Loved this for breakfast this morning!!!! It was SO yummy, and Bella said, "I like this.. A LOT. Not just a little bit." Hee hee. I think she thought she got brownies for breakfast today. :)
ReplyDeleteCan you just soak the grains in the coconut milk over night?
ReplyDeleteI've never done it, but I've been doing a lot of reading recently on soaking oats and I think it might work. You would not want to soak it longer than overnight, though, as I think the milk would start to spoil.
Delete