I usually have weird cravings for sweets in the evening around 7:00. This facilitates the need for me to drive five minutes to Kroger to pick up ingredients for whatever dessert I’m craving at the time. It’s not a nightly ritual, but it happens frequently enough to be annoying.

The other morning I was hit by a chocolate craving. I was wearing my pajamas. I had to get ready for work soon. I was not going to drive to the grocery store to make myself dessert for breakfast.

Instead I used the idea behind my chocolate overnight oatmeal and made something for the cooler weather.

If you like brownies, or chocolate, or ooey gooey sweet breakfast, then this is for you.

Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 medium banana
• 1/4 C. milk
• 1/2 C. oats

Step 1: Smush up the banana in a bowl. Add the milk and mix it together. Then add the cocoa powder and brown sugar and stir until they are dissolved. Last, add the oats and stir to combine. You’ll have a chocolatey mess in a bowl.

Step 2: Grease a ramekin and pour the chocolatey mess into it. Bake it at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Your kitchen will start to smell like brownies, and people will stagger in to see what smells so good this early in the morning.

This really tastes like a brownie. You can cut back on the sugar and cocoa if it’s too chocolatey/sweet for you. It was perfect for me, since I was trying to cure a sweet tooth at the time.

This is going to be my reward all week for dragging my butt out the door at 7:00 AM and running in 40 degree weather (I’m a wimp; at 40 degrees I wear gloves and ear warmers). I encourage you to treat yourself for your little accomplishments with this treat.

The Wife