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Espresso Chocolate Chip Baked Oats

Spoon with a bite of baked oats in a ramekin to show inside cake-like texture.
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Espresso Chocolate Chip Baked Oats have an irresistible espresso and dark chocolate chip flavor, a soft and fluffy cake-like texture and are easy to make! They’re meal prep friendly, high in protein and perfect for mornings when you need an extra caffeine kick!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 spray Cooking Oil Spray
  • 40 grams / ½ cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (use gluten-free if needed – note 1)
  • 25 grams / ≈ ¼ cup Vanilla Protein Powder (or vanilla flavored, I used PEScience Gourmet Vanilla Select Protein, a whey-casein blend – note 2)
  • 2 grams / ½ TSP Baking Powder
  • ¼ TSP ground Cinnamon
  • 50 grams / 3 TBSP + 1 TSP Unsweetened Apple Sauce
  • 40 grams / 2 TBSP + 2 TSP Liquid Egg Whites (from a carton)
  • 40ml / 1 shot Espresso or Strongly Brewed Coffee (lukewarm – or at room temperature – note 3)
  • 30ml / 2 TBSP Unsweetened Almond Milk (or any plant-based or regular milk)
  • ¼ TSP Coffee Extract (optional – use if stronger coffee flavor is desired)
  • 6 grams / ½ TBSP Brown Sugar Replacement (I used Swerve Brown Sugar – note 4)
  • 45 grams / ≈ ⅓ cup fresh Raspberries (or use frozen)
  • 10 grams / ≈ 1 TBLS Sugar-free Dark Chocolate Chips, plus more for serving (I used ChocZero brand but regular chocolate chips work too)

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 180°C / 356°F / Gas Mark 4. Spray a 12 or 14-ounce (12cm) ramekin or oven-safe bowl with 1 spray cooking oil spray. Use your fingers or a pastry brush to coat the inside.
  2. Combine the dry ingredients: Use a mini blender (Nutribullet, Blend Jet or a small food processor) to blend the oats into a fine flour. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the vanilla protein powder, baking powder and ground cinnamon. Mix well to combine.
  3. Add the wet ingredients: Add the unsweetened apple sauce, liquid egg whites, unsweetened almond milk, espresso, coffee extract (if using) and brown sugar replacement. Mix thoroughly until evenly combined.
  4. Add the mix-ins: Gently stir in most of the raspberries and dark chocolate chips (reserve a few pieces of each for the topping).
  5. Assemble: Pour the batter into the prepared ramekin and top with the remaining raspberries and dark chocolate chips. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes so that the oats absorb some of the liquid and the batter “sets”.
  6. Bake: Bake for 25-27 minutes (note 5) or until the baked oats have risen and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
  7. Serve: Top with more chocolate chips if desired and enjoy warm. Or cool completely before wrapping tightly with a sheet of aluminum foil or cling wrap and storing in the fridge. Enjoy within 3-4 days.

Equipment

Notes

  1. Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. Use store-bought oat flour instead for convenience. It won’t need to be blended because it is already finely ground. Instant/quick cooking oats work too but I prefer the texture of blended rolled oats as feel the final product is more cake-like.
  2. Vanilla Protein Powder: You can use a whey-casein blend, pure whey or casein, or vegan/plant-based protein powder. Note that pure whey protein tends to result in dryer baked goods and will require a shorter baking time – approximately 20 minutes. If using a vegan protein powder, you may need 1-2 tablespoons more milk as they are more absorbent than other types of protein powders. If using an unflavored protein powder, add ½ TSP vanilla extract.
  3. Brown Sugar Replacement. I used Swerve Brown Sugar – a sugar-free sweetener made from erythritol. You can either use a packed type of sugar-free brown sweetener like Swerve or granulated white or golden sugar-free sweetener such as Lakanto brand sugar replacement products. Other options are sweeteners made from stevia, monkfruit, coconut sugar, regular light brown sugar or granulated white sugar.
  4. Baking time and oven placement tips. If your oven is on the smaller side, bake on the center rack for 25-30 minutes for a cake-like texture. If your oven is large like mine, baking on the 2nd rack from the top is best due to the small size of the ramekin. Avoid baking longer than 30 minutes on whichever rack you place the baked oats on as it will result in a dryer texture.
  5. Blended baked oats method. If you’re not particular about losing some of the ingredients that’ll get stuck in the blender and would like to shave off a couple of minutes off the prep time, you can opt for the viral TikTok style blended oats method. Blend the oats into a fine flour first, then add the rest of the ingredients except the raspberries and dark chocolate chips and blend until smooth. Gently stir in most of the raspberries and chocolate chips, then pour into the greased ramekin. Assemble and bake as indicated in steps 5 and 6 in the recipe.
  6. Meal prep. Multiply the recipe ingredients by the number of servings you’d like to make. Click the ‘2x’ or ‘3x’ buttons at the top of the recipe card to make 2 or 3 servings respectively. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl before folding in the raspberries and dark chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly into oven-safe bowls or ramekins. Top with the reserved raspberries and dark chocolate chips and bake as indicated. Once cooled, wrap each ramekin tightly in a sheet of aluminum foil or cling wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, heat on high in the microwave for 1 minute to 1 minute and 10 seconds or until warm throughout. I recommend consuming within 3 days for the best flavor and texture.
  7. To freeze. Once completely cooled after baking, run a small knife along the edges to release the baked oats from the ramekin and lift it out. Wrap with cling wrap or a small sheet of aluminum foil and place in a freezer-safe airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or oven until warm throughout.
  8. See ‘Variations’ section if you would like to customize these baked oats or make them vegan.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/espresso-chocolate-chip-baked-oats/