Hazelnut Mocha Oat Bake

Oats. Oats and I have had a rocky relationship. I was never a big oat or oatmeal eater at anytime in my life, but I did enjoy the occasional bowl of instant oatmeal as a kid. Not just any instant oatmeal, but Quaker Instant Oatmeal with Dinosaur Eggs! You know the one where as you pour the hot water in, the eggs slowly dissolve and reveal a little tiny candy dinosaur! Haha, those were the best!

But then, many years later I found out I had Celiac and Quaker oats were a no go. Contaminated and not certified gluten-free, out of the question. From there, I never really had oats in my diet for a few years except for a small dabbling in Glutenfreeda’s instant oatmeals in the beginning of my gluten-free journey. But Oatmeal was never filling enough for a breakfast for me. I would much rather have a huge bowl of cereal then a tiny bowl of oats (full of sugar in those instant packs).

But then I started blogging and saw the love many bloggers had for overnight oats. This wasn’t just oats, but a mixture of many ingredients left to sit overnight and become think and creamy ready to eat in the morning. (I am a thick oatmeal person by the way…watery is so gross!) I knew I had to try overnight oats. I could make them a lot more hearty and filling and it would be easy to grab in the morning. Thus I ordered my first huge bulk bag of certified gluten-free rolled oats from GF Harvest. I jumped right in full force and made overnight oats. I had them about 3 times a week and well…after the first few weeks of this breakfast, I noticed my tummy was not a happy camper. This happened in the Summer so at least I didn’t kill myself before a long school day, but I did eat this when I went away to Washington DC and my stomach hurt on that trip. Bummer!

Then I thought I was allergic/intolerant to oats as Celiacs can be even if they are Gluten-Free. So I stopped eating them and was so sad. However when I went to the GFAF Expo I met the lovely people from GF Harvest and we chatted about our Celiac Disease and they suggested I not eat raw oats and try them only once a week in small amounts. The next time I had oats was in granola which is baked and now raw. And guess what?! My stomach was okay! I realized that as long as I baked the oats or thoroughly cooked them I would be fine. So hello granola and baked oats! I still watch my consumption though and never have oats more then 3 times a week, but I do love them 😉 So here I introduce you to my first ever oat bake or “baked oatmeal”. A lot healthier than those instant Quaker packets for sure! Haha!

Hazelnut Mocha Oat Bake

Ingredients: (serves: 1)

+ 1/3 Cup Gluten-Free Rolled Oats

+ 1/4 Tsp Baking Powder

+ 1/4 Cup + 1 TB Water

+ 1/4 Tsp Hazelnut Extract

+ 1 TB Chocolate Protein Powder (optional)

+ 1 TB Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (increase to 2 TB if not using protein powder)

+ 1 Tsp Instant Decaf Coffee Granuals

+ Raw Hazelnuts (to serve)

Directions:

+ Preheat the oven to 350°F.

+ Oil a single serve Ceramic Ramekin. Add in all dry ingredients and stir to combine. Then add in all wet ingredients and stir again.

+ Cover the Ramekin with foil and place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Remove, uncover, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

+ Top with Hazelnuts or even Hazelnut Butter! Happy breakfasting!

Since I don’t have time to bake in the morning, I baked this the night before, let it cool, and then placed the foil back over top, poking a few holes in the foil. Then I just took it out in the morning and heated it in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Easy and quick!

The photos without the Hazelnuts were from the first time I made this. The photos with the Hazelnuts were another time!

So tell me:

Do you like baked oats, oatmeal, or overnight oats best?

What is you go to breakfast during the week? Cereal or granola is the easiest for me to just throw together in  2 minutes. But sometimes I will prep a bowl of quinoa flakes or buckwheat cereal in a bowl with all the dry ingredients, then just add the water in the morning and microwave.

*Recipe linking up for the week! Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays!*

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