Chocolate Brownie Baked Oats
Estimated Time: 55 Minutes
These chocolate brownie baked oats are moist, cakey, chewy, and melt in your mouth chocolatey!
I love making a treat to satisfy my sweet tooth with wholesome ingredients. Using whole foods is what makes my body feel it’s best and has helped decrease my gut inflammation, all while still enjoying something sweet. My blood sugar stays more balanced, my sweet-tooth is satisfied, leaving my body fueled for the day’s activities. Making healthy and delicious treats is kind of my super power, and who knew a wholesome treat could have so many benefits!
Through my gut health journey, I’ve learned ways to make healthy treats that can still bring me joy and make me feel good. Using whole food ingredients is much easier on my stomach because I am able to digest them more efficiently.
Many processed foods and baked goods have additives, gums, emulsifiers, and chemicals that leave me feeling bloated and in discomfort. My purpose behind my recipes is to make you feel good and satisfied, and that can still be done through eating healthy and whole foods!
Ingredients
2 overripe bananas
2 eggs
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 cup milk of choice (I use almond milk)
⅓ cup nut butter (I use cashew butter)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup cacao powder
½ cup chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper
Place all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, in a blender and blend until smooth
Stir in the chocolate chips
Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 25-35 minutes (until it’s set and golden brown on top)
Let cool for 15 minutes
Cut into desired size squares, and enjoy!
Storage Options:
I keep these in the fridge for when I want a sweet treat. These are great for a snack for flavorful boost during the work day, a bedtime snack, and could honestly even be part of your breakfast– I won’t judge you!
I even like to warm them up just a bit so the chocolate chips can still melt in your mouth.
They will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 1 week, but you can also freeze them for up to 3 months!
The healing powers of this deliciously sweet recipe:
Not only do these taste amazing, they have so many health benefits to them that will make your body actually feel good. Below are the benefits of some of the wholesome ingredients used in this recipe:
The bananas add a natural sweetness to this recipe while giving your body a boost of vitamin B6, potassium, and magnesium.
Vitamin B6 is known to promote healthy brain development, as well as maintaining a healthy nervous and immune system.
Potassium balances fluids in your body, helps regulate your blood sugar, and allows your muscles to contract normally.
Magnesium regulates a bunch of systems in your body, including: energy production, muscle function, aids in digestion, promotes heart health, helps relieve tension and anxiety in the body through regulating your cortisol levels.
Cacao powder is rich in flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants that protect your cells from damage and help reduce inflammation throughout the body. Flavonoids also help improve blood flow and lower blood pressure.
Maple syrup is one of my favorite natural sweeteners to use. I’m not talking about the table syrup with the corn syrup (yuck), but actual, pure maple syrup. It’s so good I could drink it straight out of the glass bottle!
Maple syrup contains phenolic compounds, making it a source of antioxidants.
It also contains minerals your body craves such as zinc, manganese, potassium, and calcium, making it beneficial for blood pressure, bone health, and immune function.
Since your body doesn’t naturally produce zinc, it’s important to get a consistent supply through your diet!
We only need small amounts of manganese in our diet, but its presence is necessary for normal brain function and nervous system function, as well as most of the enzyme systems in the body!
Calcium is one of the most well known nutrients for its contribution to building strong bones! Apart from helping our skeletons stay healthy, calcium also keeps your heart pumping, nerve endings firing, and is thought to protect against cancer and blood clot formation!
Maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than white sugar, which keeps blood sugars more regulated.
Rolled oats is one of my favorite grains to bake and cook with. They are hearty and satisfying and they keep me full!
Rolled oats are rich in soluble fiber which helps with digestion, lowers cholesterol levels, and reduces the risk for heart disease.
The soluble fiber content is called Beta-glucan, which helps with blood sugar control due to the slowed down process of absorption into the blood stream.
The soluble fiber also promotes healthy gut bacteria leading to improved digestion and reduced constipation.
It’s nutrient dense with magnesium, iron, zinc, and B vitamins and also contains antioxidants.
Cashew butter is one of my favorite nut butters to bake with, because it is naturally buttery, sweet, and fudgier than other butters. Its texture makes this recipe extra decadent.
Cashews have heart health benefits due to them being rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats. These reduce LDL cholesterol and increase HDL (which is what we want for our heart!)
Cashews contain calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K, which are all very beneficial for our bone health.
There’s some protein and fiber in cashew butter that makes it more satiating and filling, which also makes it good for reducing blood sugar spikes!
Cashews are packed with antioxidants and minerals including vitamin E, selenium, copper, and zinc. These antioxidants are great for your skin and protect your cells from free radicals.
Enjoy this short and sweet recipe and let me know how it went in the comments! Share this blog with someone who has been needing some healthy, delicious, and easy-to-understand vegetarian recipes <3
Love,
The Curly Goat
