Vegetarian Recipes

Overnight Oats, Many Ways

https://www.loveandlemons.com/overnight-oats-many-ways/

I love overnight oats – they’re an easy, healthy, dairy-free, grab-able breakfast, but I have a tendency to get into an oat rut, reaching for the same ‘ol toppings every time. If you feel the same way, here are 4 ideas that will hopefully add some inspiration to your breakfast routine!

What are overnight oats?

Overnight oats are the perfect breakfast if you love eating oatmeal in the morning but don’t have time to cook before you head out the door. My base recipe consists of whole rolled oats that soak in almond milk overnight with a dash of maple syrup. In the morning, the oats are soft and easy to digest, and the mixture has a thick, porridge-like consistency that’s satisfying to eat. I like to change up my oats by using coconut milk instead of almond milk or adding cinnamon, turmeric, or vanilla to the oat mixture before it soaks overnight. And of course, choosing different toppings is a fun and easy way to vary your overnight oats.

How do I make overnight oats?

If you’re new to overnight oats, making them is easy! Here’s how:

On the night before you plan to enjoy your oats, stir together 1/2 cup whole rolled oats, 1/2 cup plant-based milk, 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, and a dash of salt.
Refrigerate the mixture overnight in an airtight container.
In the morning your oats will be ready to eat! Transfer them to a bowl before topping and devouring them, or top and take them on the go.

These are the toppings I started with to create these 4 overnight oats combinations – how pretty are all of these healthy ingredients!

Tips for overnight oat success

If you’re taking your breakfast on the go, a Mason jar is a great choice of container for your overnight oat base. The lid seals tightly, and the jar isn’t too big or bulky. Plus, the jar’s narrow shape keeps most of the toppings separate from the oats until you’re ready to eat.
I like to refrigerate my oat base without toppings and then top it in the morning. That way, dried fruit stays chewy, and nuts and seeds are crunchy, not gummy.
If you like doing weekly meal prep, make a big batch of overnight oats over the weekend. Store individual servings in Mason jars and top them differently each day!
Have fun! I hope you love these 4 recipes, but experiment with different in-season fresh fruit, dried fruit, nut butters, spices, etc.

And now, to the recipes…

Overnight Oats - Cherry Berry with Chia and Yogurt

Cherry Berry with Chia & Yogurt Oats

A classic antioxidant-filled combo. Since it’s wintertime, I used frozen fruit (tart cherries and blueberries) in my bowls. Top them with Greek yogurt, chia seeds, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Overnight Oats - Coconut Turmeric with currants, mango, and hemp seeds

Coconut Turmeric Oats

An unexpected breakfast bowl filled with anti-inflammatory spices. I stirred turmeric, cinnamon, and coconut milk into the base of the oat bowl and topped it with mango, dried currants, hemp seeds, and coconut flakes.

Overnight Oats - Sweet Sesame Tahini with apricots, pistachios, and pomegranates

Sweet Sesame Tahini Oats

I love tahini so much that now I’m eating it for breakfast! This bowl looks so pretty, and it couldn’t be more simple to put together. Just drizzle tahini on top of the oats and top with pistachios, dried apricots, pomegranates, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of honey (or maple syrup, if you’re vegan).

Overnight Oats - Chocolate Chip Cookie with almond butter

Chocolate Chip Cookie Oats

If you’re trying to get your kids (or husband) to eat oats, this one is for you :). Who can resist that big swirl of almond butter with chocolate chips? I flavor this base recipe with a dash of vanilla extract for extra cookie flavor.

Want more make-ahead breakfast ideas? Try these cookies, these muffins, or these little frittatas.

Overnight Oats, Many Ways

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Breakfast

½ cup whole rolled oats
½ cup almond milk or light coconut milk
½ teaspoon maple syrup
pinch of sea salt

make base recipe using light coconut milk, ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
toppings: hemp seeds, diced mango, currants, coconut flakes, honey drizzle

make base recipe with coconut or almond milk
toppings: scoop of yogurt or coconut yogurt, berries, chia seeds, maple drizzle

make base recipe with coconut or almond milk
toppings: tahini, pistachios, pomegranates, dried apricots, honey drizzle, sesame seeds

make base recipe with almond milk and ¼ teaspoon vanilla
toppings: almond butter, chocolate chips, chopped almonds

In a small jar, combine the oats, almond or coconut milk, maple syrup, and salt. Stir and chill overnight.
In the morning, scoop the oats into a bowl, stir in more almond or coconut milk, if desired, for consistency. Top with desired toppings.
Alternatively, for a grab-and-go breakfast, you can assemble the overnight oats in jars with the toppings the night before.

Make these vegan by using maple syrup in place of the honey.

3.4.3177

Vegetarian Recipes

Cherry Blondies

Whenever I’m craving something sweet, but I’m sick of the same old same old, I whip up a batch of these fudgy, chewy, fragrant Cherry Blondies! The creamy white chocolate, tart cherries, and crunchy almonds make this recipe stand out. This is not your typical blondie! I don’t use almond extract too often, but pairing its flavor with cherries and white chocolate is just a no-brainer to me. (But a little goes a long way, so use it sparingly!)

Easy Recipe for Cherry Blondies

Blondies are like brownies, just without the cocoa. Instead, they’re made with brown sugar and vanilla, and have the BEST buttery flavor and chewy texture.

For these cherry blondies, I mix in canned cherry pie filling (it adds a sweet-tart cherry flavor without a lot of fuss or cost), slivered almonds, and white chocolate chips. I also brown the butter first to bring out a nutty, almost toffee-like richness that’s totally worth the extra few minutes. A mix of brown and white sugar strikes the perfect balance of moisture and structure, while a splash of almond extract adds a frangipane-style flavor. Bake them once, and you’ll see why I keep coming back to this combo. 😋

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Cherry Blondies

These easy Cherry Blondies are loaded with white chocolate, almonds, and cherry pie filling for a sweet treat that’s simple to make and hard to resist.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Total Cost $5.82 recipe / $0.64 serving

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Chill Time 20

Total Time 1 30

Servings slices

Calories 429kcal

Author Jess Rice

Equipment

8×8” Baking Dish
Parchment Paper
3 Mixing Bowls
Sauce Pan
Hand Mixer

Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour $0.28
½ tsp baking powder $0.02
¼ tsp salt $0.01
1 large egg $0.29
1 tsp vanilla extract $0.47
½ tsp almond extract $0.15
½ cup cherry pie filling $0.73*
1½ sticks salted butter cut into cubes, $1.48
½ cup granulated sugar $0.19
1 cup brown sugar $0.91
¼ cup white chocolate chips $0.42
¼ cup slivered almonds $0.87

Instructions

Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350℉.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg, vanilla, almond extract, and cherry pie filling. Mix together and set aside.
Cube the butter and melt over medium heat until frothy, whisking once in a while to make sure the milk solids don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
Once butter is browned, it will have a nutty aroma and darken in color. (Babysit it! Don’t let it burn!) Remove from heat.
Combine browned butter with granulated and brown sugar.
Mix with a hand mixer on low until combined. Then, add the wet cherry mixture and continue to mix until combined.
Finally, gently mix in the dry flour mixture little by little until a batter forms.
Fold in white chocolate and almond slivers.
Transfer batter to greased and line baking dish and add some extra white chocolate and almonds on top, if you have them.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting. The interior may still be a little gooey. These are chewier than your typical brownie! Enjoy.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*The ingredients in a can of cherry pie filling are pretty simple, but I have found the Duncan Hines Comstock brand “Simply Cherry” in a can to have fewer ingredients and no added coloring, so if you see it next to the regular cherry pie filling, you may want to spring for that can instead. You could try making these with fresh cherries, which I skipped because I couldn’t find any at my local grocery store, just make sure you pit them first!

Nutrition

how to make Cherry Blondies step-by-step photos

The ingredients to make cherry blondies.

Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350℉. Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper. Set this aside for now.

Flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Mix the dry ingredients: Add 1¾ cups flour, ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Set this aside.

Cherry pie filling, egg, and vanilla extract in a bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients: In a different mixing bowl, combine 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp almond extract, and ½ cup of cherry pie filling. Set this aside for now as well.

Brown the butter: Add 1½ sticks of cubed salted butter to a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter until frothy, being sure to whisk it once in a while to avoid the milk solids from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Babysit it, and don’t let it burn! It typically takes about 5-8 minutes for butter to brown.

When the butter is browned, it’ll smell nutty and be darker in color. There will also be flecks of brown throughout (those are toasted milk solids, and they’re full of flavor). Remove it from the heat once done.

Brown and white sugar added to a bowl of browned butter.

Make the batter: Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl and add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.

The wet ingredients for cherry blondies added to the creamed butter and sugar.

Use a hand mixer on low to combine the browned butter and sugars. Once mixed, add the wet cherry pie filling mixture and keep mixing until thoroughly combined.

Dry ingredients added to the wet ingredients to make cherry blondies.

Now, gently fold in the dry flour mixture a little at a time until a thick batter forms.

Slivered almonds added to the batter for cherry blondies.

Finally, fold in ¼ cup white chocolate chips and ¼ cup slivered almonds.

The batter for cherry blondies in a lined baking dish.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. If you have any extra, top the batter with a few white chocolate chips and slivered almonds to make it look extra pretty.

Finished homemade cherry blondies in a baking dish.

Bake: Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. They’re done once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let your homemade cherry blondies cool for 20 minutes before cutting for the best results. They may still be a little gooey! They’re definitely chewier than your average brownie but just as delicious. Enjoy!

Overhead view of a baking dish of cherry blondies with one missing.

Tips for Browning Butter

I brown the butter in this cherry dessert recipe because it gives the blondies the most amazing, deep, nutty flavor that plain melted butter can’t match. You could skip this step and just melt it, but it definitely wouldn’t taste the same.

It’s honestly so easy to brown butter, and only takes about 5-8 minutes from start to finish! Here’s how to do it right (we also have a step-by-step breakdown with photos on how to brown butter you can check out, too!):

Use a light-colored pan if you have one. It makes it easier to see the color change.
Watch it closely. Browning happens fast, and it can burn before you know it. Stay nearby and use medium heat.
It’ll start to froth. That’s normal. Just keep gently stirring so nothing sticks to the bottom.
Look for brown flecks. Those are the milk solids toasting, which is exactly what you want.
Pull it off the heat right away. As soon as it smells nutty and the color deepens, about 5 minutes, take it off the heat! It’s ready to use.

You can even make a big batch of browned butter and keep it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and use it in future recipes. It’s obviously delicious in my cherry blondies recipe, but it’s also amazing tossed with plain pasta, drizzled over roasted veggies, or mixed into oatmeal.

Line your pan with parchment paper. It makes it way easier to lift the blondies out and slice them cleanly once they’ve cooled.
Let them cool in the pan. As good as they smell fresh out of the oven, I let my blondies cool for at least 20 minutes to help them set up properly. They’ll slice neater, and the texture will be just right.
Check for doneness with a toothpick. You’re looking for a mostly clean toothpick when inserted into your white chocolate cherry blondies. If you hit a cherry or a melty white chocolate chip, it might smear a bit, so try a second spot! Don’t forget, they may still be a little gooey on the inside rather than cakey.

Storage Instructions

Personally, I enjoy these cherry pie blondies cold! I like to keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and grab one whenever I need a sweet pick-me-up. They’ll be good for up to 3-4 days when stored this way. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.