Skinny Funfetti Cake Batter Oatmeal

 
I bit off way more than I could chew on Tuesday. I overslept, adrenalin waking me up in a heartbeat when I spotted the clock flashing the time—2 hours later than I expected. I spent all morning and afternoon running around in circles faster than our dog when she chases her tail, desperately trying to catch up and speed through my “To Do” list. I needed 5 more sets of hands and an extra 24 hours in the day… That must be how it feels to be a mom!  

At 9 pm, with a batch of yeast treats finally rising in the oven (recipe coming soon!) and Olena’s turkey chili simmering on the stove, I nearly suffered a heart attack for the second time that day… I ran out of maple syrup, something incredibly crucial to my photo shoot the following morning. I breathlessly begged my guy to watch the pot as I grabbed my keys and sprinted out the door.
 

 
I arrived at Trader Joe’s with just minutes to spare before they closed and dashed around the store with a red shopping basket dangling from my hand, recklessly chucking in ingredients. At the end of my race, I picked the shortest—yet slowest—line and stood there, frustrated by the slowpoke college girls flirting with the cashier and constantly worrying that the chili would bubble over. (Yes, my guy was supposed to keep an eye on it, but with the temptation of the NBC Olympic Primetime Coverage showing the men’s skiing half pipe…)
 

 
As I impatiently hefted my basket from one hand to the other, snippets of the cashier’s conversation drifted my way. “Yeah, I was a pastry chef,” he casually mentioned.

“Why’d you stop and come work here?” the girls inquired.

“Because I wanted to like my life.”
 

 
At any mention of baking, my sensitive ears go on high alert, like a dog listening for squirrels in the park. Although the teenagers changed the topic, I brought it right back up when I reached the register.

“So you were a pastry chef?” I inquired, and we started chatting while he scanned and bagged my items.

Despite his laid-back tattooed, pierced, and bushy bearded appearance, it turned out that he studied at one of the three elite vegan/vegetarian pastry schools in the nation and was immediately hired at the #10-ranked restaurant in the country. He eventually quit and wandered halfway across the US to our sleepy little town, but he still owns molecular gastronomy equipment and plays around with creating fruit juice caviar in his spare time.

Basically… I want him to be my new best friend. (I just haven’t quite figured out a way to go about that without being overly awkward. Any ideas?)
 

 
Just like that cashier’s life story, this Skinny Funfetti Cake Batter Oatmeal is colorful, fun, and bound to bring a smile to your day! Its sweet, buttery taste tricks you into thinking you’re acting naughty and eating dessert for breakfast, but your waistline will still thank you—it clocks in at under 175 calories and packs in 9 grams of protein!
 

 
This super simple recipe only requires 4 ingredients: oats (gluten-free if necessary), milk, sprinkles, and my secret weapon… Butter extract. With its rich warm flavor, butter extract makes just about anything taste like cake batter! Almost every grocery store, as well as Walmart and Target, sells it for a rather inexpensive price. It’s shelf-stable and keeps for ages, so I highly recommend buying a bottle. (And then you can make this amazing cookie butter and these addictive sugar cookies too!)

When choosing sprinkles, I suggest using jimmies (the long thin ones) as opposed to colored sugar or nonpareils (the tiny spherical ones). The latter two tend to bleed and create a rather unappetizing gray color, whereas jimmies generally do not. And if rainbow isn’t your thing, try chocolate or a holiday-themed mix instead!
 

 
When I cook oatmeal, I almost always turn to the microwave. As long as I watch the bowl and open the door whenever the oats threaten to bubble over the rim, there’s a lot less to clean up! (Yes, I’m lazy and don’t want to wash a bowl and a pot from the stove.) But make your oatmeal with whatever method you feel most comfortable. You could even try combining everything but the sprinkles the night before to make overnight oats instead!

Once the oatmeal finishes cooking, stir in the butter extract and allow the bowl to thicken for a few minutes before adding the sprinkles. This reduces the chance of them bleeding into the oatmeal. Then dig in and enjoy!
 

 
After my first spoonful of this Skinny Funfetti Cake Batter Oatmeal, I literally thought I was eating dessert for breakfast. The warm buttery flavor… The thick cozy oatmeal… The cheerful rainbow sprinkles… They totally fooled my taste buds and my stomach, but I never felt bloated or bogged down later in the day (like during middle school when I actually snuck cake for breakfast—but shh, don’t tell my mom!).

Guys, you really should try this for breakfast. ASAP. Then wash it down with a skinny chocolate covered strawberry frappuccino.

Just sayin’… It’s the best healthy breakfast of champions!
 

Skinny Funfetti Cake Batter Oatmeal

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 1 bowl

This thick buttery oatmeal really tastes like cake batter! The recipe is easily doubled, tripled, or quadrupled to feed more than one.

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Ingredients 

• ⅓ cup (33g) old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if necessary)
• ⅔ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
• ¼ tsp butter extract
• 1-2 tsp rainbow jimmies (the long, thin sprinkles)
• sweetener, to taste

Instructions

• Add the oats and milk to a bowl and cook on HIGH in the microwave for 2 ½ to 3 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. (Alternatively, cook on the stovetop over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until most of the liquid has been absorbed.) Stir in the butter extract, and let the oatmeal sit for 1-2 minutes to thicken. Sprinkle the jimmies on top and serve immediately.

Notes

OATS ALTERNATIVES: Quick cooking oats (also called "one minute" or "instant" oats) may be substituted for the old-fashioned rolled oats. I don't recommend substituting steel-cut oats.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

 

BUTTER EXTRACT NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Butter extract is what gives this oatmeal that classic sweet, rich, buttery cake batter flavor. I really like Wilton’s butter extract. It’s typically sold near the vanilla extract on the baking aisle. I’ve also seen it on the wedding-themed aisle at Walmart. (You can use it to make all of these recipes of mine too!)

 

If you don’t have butter extract, you can substitute vanilla, but your oatmeal won’t taste quite like classic cake batter without it.

 

SPRINKLES NOTE: I highly recommend using jimmies (the long, thin sprinkles!). Nonpereils (the tiny balls) and colored sugar bleed a lot more and dissolve into the oatmeal. Rainbow jimmies and chocolate jimmies both work. Many other colors of jimmies should work too!

 

SWEETENER OPTIONS: Just about any sweetener will work! Common ones include liquid stevia, pure maple syrup, honey, agave, coconut sugar, monk fruit, erythritol, sucralose, and more. Feel free to use whatever sweetener you're most comfortable with! Adjust the amount of your preferred sweetener to suit your tastes.

 

DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: For a vegan version, substitute your favorite dairy-free milk OR water.

 

GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: Use certified gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats or certified gluten-free quick cooking oats.

 

{gluten-free, egg-free, low fat, dairy-free option, vegan option}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

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