Six more weeks of winter! According to that silly little groundhog, we’ll be bundled up and eating hearty delicious things for another six weeks. This oatmeal is the perfect hearty breakfast that will give you a bit of a chocolate fix without breaking the nutritional and caloric bank before noon. It’s flavored with cocoa, sweetened with maple syrup and studded with sweet and tangy oranges. It will be just the ticket to fuel your day, whether you’re pushing paperwork, running errands or chasing kids around the playground or in the snow.
I ate this oatmeal this morning, and now I’m headed out for a run. Let me tell you, it is way better than anything I’ve had for breakfast lately. I adapted this from the “Irish porridge” recipe on the side of the can of steel-cut oatmeal I had sitting in my cupboard. Normally Irish porridge is left plain with maybe a bit of butter or sugar or buttermilk. Irish butter is delicious, but I prefer chocolate. I save the butter for bread.
You may sweeten to taste to suit your sugar needs. I like to avoid too much sugar so early in the morning, but if you’re looking for a late night snack, you might want to up the sugar level a bit. That’s completely up to you though. If you really want to splurge, you can shave some dark chocolate over the top. Now, that’s delicious!
Chocolate Orange Oatmeal
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup steel cut Irish oatmeal
- pinch of salt
- 1 packed tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (dry measure) pure maple syrup
- orange segments, chopped
Additions if desired:
- brown sugar or maple syrup
- milk or cream
- shaved dark chocolate
In a saucepan over high heat, bring 4 cups of water to a rapid boil. Add a pinch of salt and the oatmeal, reduce heat to low and briskly whisk in the cocoa powder and maple syrup. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until thickened to your liking. Pour the cocoa porridge into bowls and drop in the orange segments as desired. Add brown sugar or more maple syrup to taste and milk or cream and shaved dark chocolate, if desired. Enjoy.
Adapted from John McCann’s “Irish Porridge” Recipe.
Chocolate and oatmeal? Count me in!!! Awesome healthy recipes. I am awarding you a Versatile Blogger Award because your recipes are fabulous.
I am always on the lookout for new oatmeal recipes – these look tops
Thanks for making my breakfast brighter!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Chocolate oatmeal? Brilliant! This would get me out of bed in the morning for sure! I love the combo of chocolate and orange, and I’m with you on the not-too-sweet in the morning thing. This oatmeal looks just perfect.
This looks perfect for a hearty breakfast. I am not much of a fan of oatmeal, but I have been trying to eat it more lately, and flavor it up with flavors I like!
This certainly brightens up an oatmeal breakfast…lovely combination
Oh I love oatmeal in the mornings! And to add chocolate and oranges? I would have never though to do that, but it looks scrumptious!
Thanks for this delicious post. Now I know of a way by which I can make my daughter eat oatmeal!
Among all kinds of breakfast, I’m not very fond of oatmeal. HOWEVER, I think I might change my mind completely if I have this chocolate orange oatmeal! Looks very tempting!
Looks Good!!!
My kids love oatmeal, me not so much. But this bowl looks too delicious to ignore…
I will try it next time I make oatmeal.
Okay, this might actually make me eat oatmeal… Sounds and looks yummy! Thanks for sharing this one, Kate!
lovely combination looks wonderful
This is such an interesting oatmeal combo and I had to put my eyes back in their socket when I saw chocolate shavings as an optional addition!
You have a very pretty blog and I’m glad I stopped by!
That is an interesting combination. My dad loves chocolate and orange, so he would adore this
Love this! Any excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast is a good thing in my books, especially when it’s also good for me. I’ve been doing a lot of oatmeal for breakfast lately, and I’m thinking this would be a nice change from the usual… must try it out soon!
I love the idea of adding cocoa and orange to oatmeal. This sounds delicious!
I am always looking for new oatmeal ideas and this looks amazing. I never in a million years would have thought to put oranges in oatmeal and so this is intriguing to me. Thanks for a great new breakfast flavor idea!
Oatmeal is usually something I have to choke down, but I would gladly have a second bowl of this. I agree with you though, I don’t like too much sugar early in the morning either