Chocolate and I have always been good buddies. I’ve never been one to be able to eat a small square of dark chocolate after dinner and call it dessert. How!? I’ll take lots o’ chocolate please! I’m also a huge fan of enjoying chocolate throughout the day – it doesn’t just need to be an after-dinner treat and there are plenty of ways to incorporate chocolate into your diet in a more moderate way than downing a big bowl of chocolate ice cream (though that does sound pretty fabulous right now). I will often incorporate chocolate into my morning meal. Here are three breakfast ideas for chocolate lovers.
And it’s easy to get that rich chocolate flavor I adore without adding a ton of sugar, calories and saturated fat. How? Cocoa powder, baby!
Three Breakfast Ideas for Chocolate Lovers
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve seen a chocolaty breakfast pop up on the blog quite frequently and today I’m teaming up with Hershey to share three breakfast ideas I adore that I think my fellow chocolate lovers will enjoy as well.
Chocolate Almond Butter Overnight Oats
Up first we have chocolate almond butter overnight oats!
This recipe, like the two additional recipes you will also find below, is really simple to make and uses HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa Powder. This is my go-to cocoa powder because it’s richer in flavor than the typical cocoa powder you find at the grocery store. A little bit goes a long way so one carton seems to last forever, which is also a big plus!
The overnight oats are prepped the night before so by the time you wake up in the morning, you have a delicious bowl of creamy chocolate almond butter oats waiting for you!
Chocolate Almond Butter Overnight Oats
Makes one large serving
Ingredients
- 1 5.3-ounce container vanilla Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 tablespoon almond butter
Directions
- Combine Greek yogurt, chia seeds, oats, 1/2 cup almond milk, cocoa powder and peanut butter in a bowl and stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, uncover mixture. It will be very thick. Pour additional 1/4 cup almond milk over oats and stir. Top with fresh fruit and enjoy!
Chocolate Coconut Chia Seed Pudding
Though most chia seed pudding recipes require a few hours of refrigeration to thicken, this is one you can eat instantly (though you may also allow it to thicken in the fridge for a little longer if you prefer). Whether you make it ahead of time or right before you’re ready to eat, the rich chocolate flavor and hint of coconut will remind you of an ALMOND JOY candy bar!
I made this one for dessert last week as well, so it’s rather versatile and definitely not a breakfast-only option. If you’re going to eat it for breakfast, I recommend serving it with a small egg sandwich or a piece of peanut butter toast for a little more staying power.
Chocolate Coconut Chia Seed Pudding
Makes four small servings
Ingredients
- 10 dates, pitted
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons raw almonds
- 3 tablespoons HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa Powder
Directions
- Place all ingredients into a high-powered blender or a food processor and blend until large chunks no longer remain. The pudding will still have a chewy texture from the chia seeds and almonds, but there should not be any large chunks of dates remaining when the pudding is done blending.
- Top with raw almonds and a sprinkle of coconut and enjoy!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Smoothie
You guys know how much I love my chocolate smoothies by now! This one is packed with protein thanks to the cottage cheese and the frozen bananas give it a creamy texture I adore.
It only requires a few common ingredients and comes together in no time at all. I love this one as a filling afternoon snack as well!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Smoothie
Serves One
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 frozen bananas
- 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa Powder
Directions
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Top with a drizzle of peanut butter and enjoy!
If you decide to give any of the above chocolaty recipes a try, I hope you love them as much as I do.
Enjoy!!
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Disclaimer: This blog post is sponsored by The Hershey Company as part of my participation in their Food Ambassador program. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
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Chocolate for breakfast?! Yes please! Love these recipes Julie 🙂
Yummm, I’ll take more chocolate with any meal! I jumped on the chocolate smoothie bandwagon when you started blogging about them ages ago, but I admittedly have never tried adding cottage cheese because that stuff kind of freaks me out. I do love chocolate cheesecake though, so I may have to take the leap of faith!
Looks so good! I give huge props to everyone who can have one square of chocolate and vall it a day.. not for this lady!!
I just finished making a variation of the overnight oats and its in the fridge for the morning. So looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.
In the smoothie recipe is there anything you can exchange the cottage cheese with? No one in my home eats it so we never have it.
I love chocolate and always try to incorporate it. Can’t wait to try some of these great recipes.
you could try cream cheese (though i’d use less than the rec. serving of cottage cheese) or a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese!
Yum to all of these!!
I can’t wait to try all of these!! Can’t go wrong with chocolate for breakfast 🙂
I have chocolate for breakfast every day with my Shakeology! But I’d be a liar if I said that was enough to satisfy my craving…I’d eat chocolate all day long if I could!
oh no! this is going to destroy me! My pregnancy craving is peanut butter. All the peanut butter! My 16lb pregnancy gain could easily become 60lbs if I keep finding excuses to eat it for every meal… and snack… eeeep!x
So I don’t normally leave comments, but I just discovered Halo Top ice cream and had to share if you’ve never heard of it. The chocolate ice cream is amazing and only 80 calories per 1/2 cup! I know you’re not concerned about your weight, but this ice cream is so good and it doesn’t have a bunch of crazy ingredients so you can feel better about eating it with your little one. Such a perfect treat for warm weather!!
Ooh!! I will look for it! Thanks for the rec!
Yummy!
For the record you can make chia pudding on the stovetop as well. The heat makes the chia gel much faster and thicker than when cold so you can eat it right away. I make chocolate chia pudding with almond milk quite a bit!
Oh awesome!! I never knew that — thanks for the tip!
Love these recipes! I wish I could find a place that sold decent dates. I’ve been wanting to try a few recipes with dates in them for a while, but can never seem to find them. My aunt orders them off the internet, so maybe I should get the link from her!
Have you checked the bulk bins at Whole Foods?
Yum definitely making the overnight oats for tomorrow’s breakfast! I love chocolate so much. I eat a small piece after every meal…
My favorite breakfast is chocolate peanut butter banana overnight oats :p in fact, they’re in the fridge waiting for Mr right now.