I’ve got something brand new (well to me, anyway) to share with you all today – my first foray into the world of overnight oats. Yep, although my first instinct was “nobody wants to eat cold porridge”, apparently a lot of people do! And now my wife’s one of them.
So get on board the quick breakfast train with my recipe for peanut butter overnight oats. Not convinced? Did I mention there’s some chocolate involved too?
Ahhh, now you’re interested!
Full disclosure – I’m not an ‘oats for breakfast’ sort of girl. You’re much more likely to see my tucking into something with a much higher sugar content than oatmeal. But, as someone who eats her toast in the morning whilst actually driving to work due to consistently bad snoozing choices, I can appreciate the need for a super quick breakfast. Maximising the time spent asleep is definitely one of my life goals.
So when Kate repeatedly asked me to create her some overnight oats, I knew I had to rise to the challenge. And me being me, I knew that the obvious first step into this world would need to involve peanut butter. I know my audience.
So what even is an overnight oat? Well, if you’re one of the six people left on Pinterest that haven’t seen overnight oats before, then they’re simply porridge oats, covered in milk, and left to get all mushy and soft overnight in the fridge. Preferably in a cute jar. You then grab them on your way out the door in the morning, and eat them straight out of said jar with a spoon, sat at your desk, whilst simultaneously trying to work.
Although the magic of overnight oats comes from what else you add in to that little jar. Cocoa powder, syrup, cherries, chocolate chips, Nutella(!)… the world is your oyster. We’re keeping things a little simpler here, with a couple tablespoons of peanut butter, and some maple syrup.
Once you’ve thrown your ingredients into a jar – or just use a bowl if you want – you’re going to need to mix them all together. This is much easier if you haven’t deliberately formed the peanut butter into a nice ring around the edge of the jar. Grab a spoon and stir it all up, or just put the lid on the jar and shake it. You want all the peanut butter to be nicely distributed throughout the jar, and you need all the oats to be completely covered in milk. You don’t want any crunchy oats left on the top when you wake up in the morning! Bad oats.
After a night in the fridge, these peanut butter overnight oats are going to be squishy and soft, and oh-so peanutty. I’m pretty much insisting that you add some chopped banana and a decent handful of chocolate chips onto the top before you get stuck in. It’s mandatory.
After the warm reception that these cold little oats had from Kate, I’m sure I will be getting stuck in to some more flavour combinations very soon. Maybe something a little autumnal now that fall is just around the corner? ???
- 50g (about 1/2 cup) porridge oats
- 120ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ banana, sliced
- A handful of dark chocolate chips
- Grab a clean jar or bowl, and add the oats, milk, vanilla, peanut butter, and maple syrup. Stir well - it's important to make sure the peanut butter has been properly mixed in, and to ensure that the oats are completely covered in liquid.
- Place the lid on the jar, or cover the bowl with clingfilm, and leave in the fridge overnight (or at least four hours). The oats will become soft like porridge once they are ready.
- To serve, pour into a bowl and top with slices of fresh banana and some chocolate chips. Or just eat straight from the jar at your desk!
- These overnight oats are definitely best eaten the day after they are made.
One mason jar lasted me for three days and they still tasted good by day three! Everyone at work thought they looked a bit weird because they are all philistines. Saved me an extra ten minutes in bed every morning though 🙂