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Healthier Oat Cereal
This oat cereal is chewy, chocolatey and healthy, it’s an absolute delight that children will love!
Deciding what to have for breakfast can be a headache in my household. In a world where store-bought cereals are loaded with sugars, a homemade healthier option is always welcome. This is especially true when the ingredients are simple, basic ingredients that you likely always have on hand..
Why You’ll Love This Cereal
- It’s quick and easy
- The whole family can enjoy it
- It can be made in large batches and stored for the week (I doubt it’ll last that long)
About This Cereal
The base of this cereal is oats and bananas and I particularly love it because I love oats, it is full of fibre-rich beta-glucans it’s versatile and highly nutritious. Oats are high in antioxidants that reduce inflammation, relax the arteries and improve heart health. I’ve also added ground flaxseed to this cereal moving its nutritional value up a notch. Cocoa powder gives it its chocolatey look and taste and would be a winner with the children. I sometimes wake up 20 minutes earlier to whip this up before I wake my daughters up for school and I even have time for my first cup of green tea while it bakes. It’s that easy.
What you need to make this soft cereal
Old-fashioned rolled oats
Choose old-fashioned oats for this recipe for the best bite and chew. Quick oats can work but they’ll get soggy quite quickly when added to milk.
Bananas
Firm bananas were used for this recipe and it added sweetness and a soft texture and chew. Overipe bananas can be used but you might need to add 1/4 cup more oats to achieve desired firmness.
Flaxseeds
Ground flaxseeds added more fibre and contributed plant-based omega-3 fatty acids to this recipe. They don’t particularly add to the flavour so you can omit it but they are a highly nutritious addition.
Cocoa powder
The resultant dark chocolatey look and taste is derived from cocoa powder, cacao powder can be used as well
Honey (optional)
The honey in the recipe though completely optional adds a touch of sweetness to masque out the slight bitterness from the cocoa powder but can be omitted if using overripe bananas
Serving suggestion for soft cereal
Serve your soft cereal with yoghurt or milk of choice – dairy-free options like soy or cashew milk are delicious options. You can enjoy it as is or top it with fruits like apples, berries and sliced bananas.
Enjoy cereal immediately for the most texture and chew. You can also enjoy it as a snack.
How to Store Soft Cereal
Your soft cereal is best stored in the fridge where it will last 2 weeks (it definitely doesn’t last that long around here 🙂) and can last 3 months in the freezer.
RECIPE
Healthier Oat Cereal
Ingredients
3 cups old-fashioned oats
4 large bananas
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons grounded flaxseeds
2 tablespoons honey
INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large, wide mixing bowl mash bananas till smooth, add oats and mix till completely mixed in. Add cocoa powder, grounded flax seeds and honey (if using) and mix until evenly combined.
Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and spread thinly with a flat spatula or spoon. You might need to dip the spoon in water at intervals to allow the ease of spread and avoid the mixture sticking to the spoon.
Once evenly spread, bake in preheated oven for 12-15mins. Let the cereal cool to room temperature before cutting it into the desired sizes. I used a knife but you can use a kitchen scissors.
Store in a cereal container and keep in the fridge or freezer as desired.
NOTES
Gluten-free: Be sure to get gluten-free oats
You can blend whole flaxseeds and measure out the quantity required for the recipe
Maple syrup can be used in place of honey
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know how it turned out in the comments, I love to hear from you.