Extra Decadent Chocolate Overnight Oats Recipe

Do you wish your breakfast could taste more like a dessert you might find at a fancy cafe? If so, this recipe for extra decadent chocolate overnight oats, from recipe developer Miriam Hahn, is just the morning treat you're looking for. Each bite is a mix of wholesome ingredients presented in layers with a rich and luxurious taste. The oat layer is leveled up with the creamy and smooth texture of hazelnut butter, pure sweetness from maple syrup, and deep chocolate flavor from cacao powder. The middle ganache layer is silky and fudgy and melts in your mouth. This ganache layer is balanced with another layer of the oats mixture, then topped with airy whipped cream, crunchy cacao nibs, and toasted hazelnuts, making for a breakfast option that is truly a treat.

"This recipe is surprisingly easy and one of my favorite things about it is it can be made ahead," Hahn says. "Sometimes I portion it out in small 4-ounce jars making it great for an afternoon snack or evening dessert." An overnight oats recipe decadent enough to work as a dessert? Sounds like a winner in our book.

To make this recipe, start by picking up the base ingredient, rolled oats. You'll want to make sure you are using rolled oats instead of steel cut oats and avoid the instant types. The other dry ingredients you'll need are chia seeds, cacao powder, cacao nibs, chocolate chips, salt, and hazelnuts. For the wet ingredients, pick up milk, maple syrup, hazelnut butter, vanilla, and heavy cream. Whipped cream is going to be the topper, and you can add in optional berries like strawberries and raspberries.

In a large bowl combine the oats, chia seeds, cacao powder, milk, ¼ cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons hazelnut butter, vanilla, and 1 pinch of salt.

Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 45 minutes, or overnight.

Make a ganache: Pour the cream into a small saucepan and warm on medium heat for 3 minutes.

Add the chocolate chips, remaining hazelnut butter, remaining maple syrup, and remaining salt. Stir for 5 minutes until melted, then remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Transfer to a glass container and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Add the hazelnuts to a dry skillet and toast on medium heat for 5 minutes, shaking the pan frequently.

To assemble, spoon half of the oats mixture into 3 jars.

Add a layer of the ganache.

Add another layer of the oats mixture.

Distribute the whipped cream to each jar.

Top with toasted hazelnuts, cacao nibs, and optional fruit. Serve right away.

This is a flexible recipe with several substitution options. To start, if you want the recipe to be dairy-free and vegan, you can easily make swaps. Instead of cow's milk, use any plant-based milk like almond, soy, flax, oat, or cashew. You can even make your own almond vanilla milk if you have the time. Instead of the heavy cream, feel free to use canned coconut milk. Dairy-free chocolate chips are available, and that's another item to buy to convert the recipe to vegan.

If you prefer to use a nut butter that you have on hand, you can substitute the hazelnut butter for almond butter, peanut butter, or cashew butter. For a nut free version, use sunflower seed butter or tahini.

For the sweetener, you can use agave syrup or date syrup. To eliminate the need for a processed sweetener, use two ripe bananas. You will start the recipe by mashing them in the bowl before adding the other ingredients.

Instead of the ganache layer, you can add a fruity layer by making chia jam. To do this, add 3 cups of frozen fruit to a pot on medium heat. Cook for 20 minutes, mashing the fruit as it breaks down. Then add ¼ cup of maple syrup and remove from heat. Drop in 2 tablespoons of chia seeds and let it thicken. Layer the jam in between the oats, either in lieu of or in addition to the ganache.

If you love the idea of this chocolate breakfast but want to cut down on the steps, there are a few ways to do this. In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, chia seeds, cacao powder, milk, maple syrup, nut butter, vanilla, and salt. Instead of distributing the mixture into small jars, simply cover the large container and refrigerate. Instead of the ganache layer, you can melt some chocolate in the microwave before serving and drizzle that on before eating. Or, if you don't feel the need to add more chocolate, skip that step and add fresh fruit or just eat as is.

Another easy way to simplify the recipe is the prep the dry ingredients ahead of time. You can even prep a few batches at a time and store them in labeled jars. Then, at the start of the week, you can pour the dry ingredients into a bowl and add the wet ingredients and either mix and store in a large container, or distribute into portioned out containers.