Brownie Baked Oatmeal with Avocado Frosting

 

I get bored if I always eat the same thing, and breakfast can be particularly challenging. This brownie baked oatmeal with avocado frosting was a nice change!

You know my position on chocolate and mint, so I used fresh mint instead of peppermint extract, and that’s what I’m writing below.

The original recipe does say you can swap out the zucchini with the same amount of another grated fruit or vegetable, or with 1/3 cup of purée (like pumpkin or banana, or the rest of the avocado).

For the oatmeal
½ cup peeled and diced zucchini
scant 1/3 cup lactose-free milk of choice, or water
½ cup rolled oats
½ tsp. vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
4 tsp. cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt

For the avocado frosting
1/3 of a ripe avocado (I probably used ½)
1 Tbsp. milk of choice
fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tsp. maple syrup (can add more to suit your tastes)
a few spinach leaves (optional, for green color)

Preheat the oven to 350 °F and spray a single-serving ramekin with non-stick spray.

Purée all ingredients for the oatmeal together in a food processor. If it's too dry, add more milk one teaspoon at a time until it reaches a nice batter consistency. If it's too watery, add a little bit of oats. (It should not be as thick as cookie dough.)

Transfer mixture to prepared ramekin. Transfer to the ramekin and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until it no longer looks “wet” on top.

As the oatmeal is cooling down, prepare the frosting: dump all ingredients in a small food processor or blend with an immersion blender (that is what I did). Taste and adjust sweetener as you see necessary. Frost oatmeal only once it has completely cooled (you can either spread the frosting on top or use a piping bag).