Peanut Butter Zucchini Baked Oats
The following recipe and photography is courtesy of Graham R. and his dog, Carl. For more of their delicious food ventures, visit them on Instagram @cookingwithcarrrl.
I’m not sure of much in life, but I do know that zucchini is the king of summer vegetables.
Delicious grilled, roasted, or mixed into our favorite treats, it’s super versatile and has the power to enhance many of your favorite baked dishes.
This recipe is a baked oat, zucchini bread hybrid. This crossbread (Get it?!) has the best of both worlds, and it’s healthy! These oats are packed with garden-fresh zucchini, Heinen’s organic honey, coconut, Heinen’s creamy natural peanut butter, and for our health, a handful of mini chocolate chips.
When baked it becomes very soft and dense. Unlike traditional baked oats, this keeps its shape and can be sliced into bars. These are great cooled in the refrigerator and easy to grab for a quick breakfast on-the-go. Add nuts, raisins, bananas, or even shaved carrot for even more flavor and texture!
Enough about the veggies though! Peanut butter is the main flavor of this dish, so it’s important to start with quality peanut butter. Heinen’s creamy natural peanut butter is the savior of this recipe. My pantry is stocked with their creamy and chunky varieties and both are ideal for this recipe. Each jar is packed with dry roasted peanuts and salt. That’s it.
If your garden isn’t working out, head on down to Heinen’s for a few zucchinis and try out this recipe today!
Peanut Butter Zucchini Baked Oats
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the Baked Oats
- 1/2 cup Heinen's creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Heinen's organic honey
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Heinen's cage free egg
- 1 1/3 cup milk*
- 1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. Heinen's cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. Heinen's nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 small zucchini (1 cup), grated with water removed
- 1/4 cup Heinen's mini chocolate chips
- 1/8 cup shredded coconut
For the Peanut Butter Sauce
- 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp. milk
- 1 Tbsp. Heinen's creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Combine the peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract, egg and milk in a large mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Add the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Add the zucchini, chocolate chips and coconut. Before adding the zucchini, be sure to wrap it in a paper towel and squeeze it to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased 8×8 baking dish or cast iron skillet. Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired, and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Top with extra coconut flakes and sweet peanut butter sauce. Enjoy!
- To make the peanut butter sauce, whisk all three ingredients together and set aside.
*You can substitute milk with almond milk, half & half or coffee creamer for additional flavor! Also, add an additional ½ cup of liquid if for a more liquid-like oatmeal.
