These Double Chocolate Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Muffin Cups are a healthy way to eat chocolate for breakfast! 
Heads up! This post was originally published June 2012. Photos were updated August 2017. Enjoy!
Certain moments in motherhood break my heart. Little pieces of time that are etched into my memory, seemingly never to be erased.
We went to the zoo this weekend. On the way there, as Luke napped and Tim and I chatted quietly in the front seat, Meghan suddenly burst out, “Mommy! The sun is coming out!”
I wish I could take back my knee-jerk reaction, a quick “shhhh!” because I knew her shrill tone would wake Luke, a light sleeper.
The moments following stay with me. A big swallow, her lips slightly turn downward, quick eye blinking to hold back the tears that fill her eyes.
I touch her knee, “It’s okay,” I say. But it’s too late. In her face, the disappointment.
She’s disappointed because she thinks she did something wrong and she thinks she upset me. She didn’t. I just reacted to her voice.
The success of the zoo trip was dependent on Luke having a nap in the car, so of course I wanted him to sleep. But she didn’t do anything wrong. She was just excited to point out the sun was peeking through the clouds and wanted to share her excitement with her parents.
These moments stay with me, tend to fill my mind in the empty minutes of the evening, like when I’m trying to get back to sleep after a middle of the night feeding. (Yes, I still have those.)
But Meghan won’t remember that car trip or that moment. By the time we got to the zoo it was forgotten in the anticipation of tigers, giraffes, and polar bears. We had a fun afternoon and I don’t think my “shhh” entered her thoughts.
Just as the fleeting moments of pain and disappointment in her face are captured in my memory, so are the moments of excitement and joy.
The next morning, she saw me putting one of these double chocolate strawberry baked oatmeal cups on a plate, and her eyes grew wide.
“What’s that?” she asked, happy anticipation spreading across her face.
Her excitement was palpable when I told her it was chocolate. For breakfast.
This basically is dessert for breakfast. We don’t do it often. But we do it sometimes, and I know these are the happy moments she’s going to remember. And so am I.
I am loving these baked oatmeal cups. True, this one is chocolate-y and therefore dessert-like. Don’t let that fool you into thinking this isn’t a healthy breakfast option. Maybe not for everyday, but with rolled oats, milk, and egg, it’s got some nutrition packed in there.
There will definitely be more variations of the baked oatmeal cup coming out of my kitchen. I’m loving that the individual portions freeze well. Just pop one in the microwave for a minute and you have an on-the-go breakfast option for those busy mornings when preparing something just isn’t going to happen.
And if chocolate for breakfast isn’t really your thing, these are great snacks or even dessert. Chocolate+oats+warm bites of strawberry=heaven. Really. You’ll want to give this one a try, friends.
PrintDouble Chocolate Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Muffin Cups
These Double Chocolate Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Muffin Cups are warm, baked oatmeal in muffin cup form! A healthy treat the whole family loves.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 muffin cups 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
- 1 egg (flax eggs do work here)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (honey or other liquid sweetener may be substituted)
- 1 heaping cup strawberries, cut into chunks, or 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (and more sprinkled on top to make this really decadent)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a muffin tin (10 cups) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add the milk, egg, and maple syrup. Mix well. Stir in the strawberries and chocolate chips.
- Divide the mixture evenly among 10 muffin cups, filling them almost to the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cups are set. Store in the fridge or can also be frozen. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin cup
- Calories: 164
- Sugar: 16 grams
- Fat: 4 grams
- Carbohydrates: 30 grams
- Protein: 4.4 grams
If you love baked oatmeal, you’ll love some of my other recipes! Here are some of my family favorites.
Baked Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Cups
Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups
Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Muffin Cups
If you want to save the Double Chocolate Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Muffin Cups recipe for later, here’s an image to save to your Pinterest recipe board!
Katie says
July 30, 2012 at 9:18 amThis is so touching; I dont know what you’re going through simply because I’m not a mother but my heart goes out to you! I’m going to make these baked oatmeal cups for my mother as a result for everything mothers do :).
Alison says
July 30, 2012 at 10:16 amI can certainly relate to these moments, I’ve had my share too! They come back to me at the same time of day (errr, night) as well, when it’s quiet and my mind has time to wander. I think this is one of the inevitable parts of motherhood, especially when you’re trying to mother more than one child.
Glad you still had a good day out with the family! And what a great idea for a sweet yet healthy breakfast!
[email protected] Food Ramblings says
July 30, 2012 at 3:06 pmThese look so cute and delicious 🙂
Kathryn @ Mamacado says
July 30, 2012 at 3:08 pmI would love to try these. Do you think an egg substitute would still work? I usually use applesauce or banana as a substitute in my baking, but not sure if it would work for this recipe?
Maryea says
July 30, 2012 at 8:53 pmI have never tried banana or apple sauce as an egg substitute, so I’m not sure how those would work. I’m confident that a “flax egg” would work though (1 tbs. ground flax seeds+3 tbs water). Let me know if you try it!
Caroline says
July 30, 2012 at 4:58 pmThank you for your raw honesty. As a mother of four, I have had more of those moments than I would care to admit. I pray they will forgive and forget. Being a mother, particularly of more than one child, is hard work. I hope it is in the happy times that our relationships are grounded.
I plan on making these for my little ones in the morning. Wish I had done it this morning to go with the cream of wheat they love when my husband is traveling.
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
July 30, 2012 at 5:39 pmI *love* your mommy moments- the good and the not so stellar, they are so honest and true. Such a good mama you are!!! 🙂
These sound like a wonderful start to any day! I’m wondering if you think that they would freeze okay after baked? I’m trying to get my ducks in a row before Baby H arrives! Plus, I’m a big fan of the handy ‘packaging’ of this breakfast!
Maryea says
July 30, 2012 at 8:52 pmYes, it does freeze well after baking! A minute or so in the microwave and it’s good to go. 🙂
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
July 30, 2012 at 8:20 pmAw, I know exactly what you mean. It makes me feel awful – it’s not that I don’t want to hear what they have to say but they only have one volume – loud! Those moments stay with us, but I’m sure they don’t stay with them. I’m sure her exciting day will stay with her though 🙂 I loved your writing in this post!
These cups look awesome! I love individual oatmeal and I’m with Meghan. Chocolate for breakfast – yay!
Michelle {the lively kitchen} says
July 30, 2012 at 9:40 pmI’ve been there too many times. Those too-harsh words/reactions that cause that look in their eyes and a rip in your heart. Ugh. I hope that the good moments while soften (maybe erase?) the memory for them and that, in asking for forgiveness, I teach them that mom makes mistakes too.
You are doing a fantastic job with your little loves – don’t ever doubt it. Extend yourself the same grace you extend to them.
ps – yummy looking muffins!
Connie M says
July 31, 2012 at 8:10 amI really liked what Michelle from the lively kitchen had to say; we have to teach our kids that we are not perfect and we don’t expect them to be perfect all we can do is to learn from our mistakes and try to make better choices in the future.
Emily a few nights ago was playing in the kitchen throwing Mickey Mouse around, who landed in my blanched, peeled tomatoes, I was not happy! I ordered her and Mickey out of the kitchen and back with dad, tears flowed. But with this istance I thought she has to learn their are consequences for her actions, even if they are unintentional. Love your kids, teach them about God and that no matter how hard they try they will never be perfect, but they can be exceptional! You are an exceptional mother!!!! Thank you for sharing your moments with us!
Maryea says
August 1, 2012 at 8:42 amVery true. Disappointment is inevitable. Necessary, even. Thank you for your thoughts and kind words, Connie. 🙂
Kati Mora, MS, RD, Kellogg's FiberPlus(R) Wellness Advocate says
July 31, 2012 at 11:20 amThese look great! They combine two of my favorite ingredients – fiber-rich strawberries AND chocolate! Yum!! Definitely a happy moment that the two of you will share and remember. 🙂
Maryea says
August 1, 2012 at 8:41 amYou can’t really go wrong with strawberries+chocolate. 🙂
Kati Mora, MS, RD, Kellogg's FiberPlus(R) Wellness Advocate says
August 1, 2012 at 11:22 amTotally agree!
Theresa @ Two Much Fun says
July 31, 2012 at 4:42 pmI know what you mean, a lot of us do (heck, all of us do). This is another example of why YOU ARE AN AMAZING MOM! You were truly saddened by the “shhh”, even though it was quickly forgotten by Meghan. You recognized why she was so excited, and were just being cautious of protecting his sleep. Please try to remember the good moments, because you made those possible.
We made your chocolate strawberry baked oatmeal today and the kidabunks loved it! My daughter first picked out all the chocolate chips, and then she ate the rest of it. My son devoured the whole thing.
Maryea says
August 1, 2012 at 8:41 amThank you, Theresa. I’m so glad you tried and liked these!
lei says
October 16, 2012 at 1:47 amMy son will absolutely love these, he is a chocoholic like his mama. Do you think you could do them in a mini muffin pan?
Maryea says
October 16, 2012 at 7:14 amI do think that would work. I’d just reduce the baking time a bit. Let me know if you try it!
Sharyl says
July 15, 2013 at 10:35 pmI am loving reading your blog– just found it tonight via Pinterest and wow, I’ve pinned quite a bit– but this one I’m super excited about—as cherry season is upon us and I have fond memories with my grandparent’s and the chocolate covered cherries at Christmas time— Huge smile. Thanks for bringing back that sweet memory of the Queen Anne’s cherries in the red box—-
Blessings to you and your family!
Maryea says
July 16, 2013 at 2:12 pmThanks Sharyl! I love chocolate covered cherries, too! This would be perfect with cherries. 🙂
Kay says
November 7, 2015 at 1:34 pmI hope the recipe will work with raspberries. Can’t wait to try. Thanks for being a good mom to your children. It blesses all of us.
Maryea says
November 9, 2015 at 8:37 amThank you for your sweet words!
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Dani says
May 1, 2017 at 9:05 pmJust curious whether these would work out well with frreze dried strawberries rather than fresh?
Maryea says
May 3, 2017 at 8:03 amI think that would be great, actually! I may try it myself. 🙂