These creamy chocolate overnight oats are perfect to satisfy that early morning sweet tooth. The oats are made with less than 10 ingredients, provide you with healthy fats, protein, and some mood booster power from the cacao. 

I love incorporating cacao into my diet daily because of all the nutritional benefits (fiber, iron, magnesium etc) and one of the best parts about it- is it contains absolutely NO sugar. The cacao powder tastes sweet but not too sweet making it a great addition to oatmeal, smoothies, or for hot chocolate! It adds such a deep chocolate flavor to the oats making it feel like you are eating dessert for breakfast and by dessert I mean- it tastes like brownie batter! Even though the oats tastes like raw brownie batter and may look sinful they are perfectly healthy for breakfast. Also, the overnight oats are also filling thanks to the almond butter and chia seeds that expand once soaked to keep your stomach happy until lunch.

I decided to add the sweetener in the morning after the oats had been soaking all night in their deliciousness because I like to control the amount depending on how I am feeling that morning. The first time, I added dark amber maple syrup with melting almond butter and it was very sweet! It gave the oats a very strong caramelized flavor, but was nicely balanced with the saltiness of the almond butter. The second time I sprinkled a little coconut sugar on top with cacao nibs. The oats were a little less sweet with only a hint of a caramel taste- similar to brown sugar.

So, what are you waiting for you? You really have no excuse to be eating these tomorrow morning along with your coffee because it only takes 5 minutes of your time now to prepare!

Breakfast
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: Overnight in fridge

Ingredients:

3/4 cup almond milk* (vanilla flavor is good!)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup gluten free oatmeal
1 1/2 tbsp. cacao powder
1 tbsp. chia seeds
2 tbsp. almond butter
pinch of sea salt

*You can add more or less milk depending on desired consistency. I tend to stick with 3/4 cup then add a few splashes of almond milk in the morning if needed.

*Also, taste test at this point- more chocolate, more sea salt, vanilla - only if needed!

Optional add-ins:
1/2 - 1 tbsp. sweetener of choice: maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey, or melted chocolate
1 tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut oil
1 tbsp. protein powder

Optional toppings:
Cacao nibs
Dairy free chocolate chunks
1 tbsp. melted almond butter
Chopped almonds
Coconut sugar
Walnuts

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl add all of the ingredients except 1 tbsp. of the almond butter and stir until well combined. Or add the ingredients to a mason jar, close with the lid and give the jar a good shake until well mixed.

Place the mixture in the fridge in a closed container. In the morning add the 1 tbsp. of melted almond butter or any additional toppings desired.