Mocha Oatmeal (with Variations)

Wednesday morning, I had great plans for a Peppermint Mocha Oatmeal. I planned it while falling asleep the night before, and I woke up eager to try it out.

My dreams came crashing down when I opened my mother's bottle of mint extract, only to get an awful whiff of spearmint. SPEARMINT!! Ugh. It was a combination of spearmint and peppermint. Unacceptable!

I was not about to have spearmint mocha--gross. Instead, I just went with a simple mocha oatmeal, along with a little bit of vanilla extract to enhance the chocolate flavor.

Like my Thin Mints or Lemon Poppy Seed Oatmeal, I used banana to sweeten it. I swear you won't taste it. I knew I wouldn't be able to taste it with peppermint or almond extract, but I was very surprised that I didn't even taste it with just vanilla extract! The coffee and chocolate flavors are very strong and mask the banana taste well.

The fun thing about this recipe is that the variations are endless! Instead of vanilla extract, you could use PEPPERMINT extract (not spearmint...) for a peppermint mocha, ALMOND extract for an almond mocha, etc. Imagine the possibilities: hazelnut, caramel, coconut, butterscotch, Irish cream, French vanilla....

Mocha Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 2/3 cup strong brewed coffee (I used cold press!)
• 1/3 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I used Country Choice Organic)
• 1/2 a ripe banana
• 1 rounded tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Bring coffee and milk to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium.
2. Mash up banana and add to the oatmeal. Stir.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add cocoa powder, vanilla extract (or whatever flavor you want to use), and salt.
4. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, nuts), do so now.
5. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice (and/or more coffee) and any other additional toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.).

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Easy variations:

White Chocolate Mocha Oatmeal

Add a handful of white chocolate chips toward the end (either let them melt and stir them in, or simply sprinkle them on top when serving).

Almond Mocha Oatmeal

Use 1/4 tsp almond extract instead of vanilla extract.

Peppermint Mocha Oatmeal

Use 1/4 tsp peppermint extract instead of vanilla extract. Top with a sprig of fresh peppermint when serving, if you have it! :)

Butterscotch Mocha Oatmeal

Add a handful of butterscotch chips toward the end (either let them melt and stir them in, or simply sprinkle them on top when serving).

Coconut Mocha Oatmeal

Use coconut milk with the coffee for your cooking liquid, and top with shredded coconut at the end. The vanilla extract is optional.

Almond Joy Mocha Oatmeal

Use 1/4 tsp almond extract instead of vanilla extract, and top with shredded coconut at the end.

Of course, you could also use flavored syrups as well. :)

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!