Mmmm...Mocha Porridge Oats

A simple little breakfast for when you're craving something naughty and sweet, for those mornings when you really want to grab a slice of cake to eat en route with your coffee...

Or maybe it's 11am and you've just got back from a work out and you sugar levels are low and you're HUNGRY...

Or perhaps it's a Sunday morning and the chocolate bar hidden away in the back of the cupboard ready to bake brownies later is already calling to you...

Porridge will always have a special place in my heart, its warming, comforting taste transports me back to when I was little. In the winter mum would cook it for breakfast every morning and me and my younger brother would sit at the big wooden table and eat it whilst it was still too hot.

I still think my mum can make the best porridge, I think her secret is that she has magic powers. That, and the fact that she keeps the recipe simple, just oats, water, coconut milk and salt. And she leaves it to bubble away in the pan for ages so that it becomes so thick and gooey she can hardly ladle it into the bowls. 

This recipe is still oh so simple, but with a caffeine and cocoa twist. The coffee adds the punch to wake you up whilst the cocoa makes you feel all warm and cosy. The dates create a syrupy sweetness that makes this bowl of porridge remind me of a Hot Caramel Mocha from Starbucks.

Ingredients

Serves 2

2 oz Oats - use gluten free if you wish!

1 oz Dates - chopped

Good pinch of salt

1 tsp Espresso powder

1-2 tsp Cocoa powder

3 fl oz Coconut milk - halved

4 fl oz Water

2 fl oz Freshly brewed coffee

Optional extras -

Flaked almonds

Dried coconut

Raisins

Chocolate chips

Chopped toasted walnuts

Maple syrup

Chopped banana

All you need to do is...

Pop the oats, dates, salt, espresso powder and cocoa into a saucepan and add the water, coffee and half of the coconut milk.

Simmer on a low heat until the oats become thick and creamy and the dates have 'melted' into the porridge.

Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining coconut milk - if you like your porridge really thick then you might not want to add the remaining coconut milk.

Eat and enjoy!

Happy Eating! x