Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Chocolate and peanut butter are a winning combination, and no less so for breakfast! Satisfying, deeply chocolaty and not overly sweet, this dark chocolate peanut butter oatmeal is the perfect thing for a chilly winter morning. Old-fashioned rolled oats allow for both creaminess and texture, and the bitterness of the cocoa is offset by the natural sweetness of carob, prunes, and cinnamon. Finally, cooking the oatmeal in a pan rather than a pot lets it cook down faster, and also gives you the option to use non-stick, if you don’t have time for soaking a pot–a nifty trick from Samantha Seneviratne, who created the recipe that allowed me to create this variation.

Note: If you scale the recipe up for multiple servings, you may need a longer cook time (and will definitely need a large pan).

Adapted from Samantha Seneviratne via Food52.

ingredients:

serves 1

• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 6 soft pitted prunes
• 2 tsp unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 tsp roasted carob powder
• dash of cinnamon
• pinch of salt (optional, depending on the sodium content of your almond milk and nut butter)
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tbsp salted natural peanut butter

preparation:

In a blender, combine the almond milk, prunes, cocoa, carob, cinnamon, and salt (if using). Blend until no chunks of prune remain (little flecks are ok). Add to a medium skillet and stir in the oats. Heat over medium until the mixture comes to a simmer and then continue cooking, stirring and scraping the pan frequently, for about 5 minutes, until thickened and creamy. Transfer oats to a bowl and top with 1 tbsp of peanut butter. Enjoy your dark chocolate peanut butter oatmeal while it’s still nice and warm!