In high school, our marching band drove down to Disneyland every December to march in a parade down Main Street. But besides those few hours we spent backstage changing into our uniforms and rehearsing our songs, we were given free reign of the park.
Since Disneyland had the most rides of the two parks, we usually spent the bulk of our time there dashing between lines and navigating between semi-lost guests. (To this day, I still know the streets and sidewalks of Disneyland better than my hometown!) Every once in a while throughout the day, our group of friends grew so large that we took up the entire train on Thunder Mountain Railroad or the boat on Pirates of the Caribbean!
One year, the band director allowed us to go to Disneyland two days in a row. With the extra time, we ran over to California Adventure for a few hours, rotating between the California Screamin’ roller coaster, Soaring Over California gliders, and stomach-churning drops on the Tower of Terror.
When lunchtime rolled around, we started looking for something quick and easy to maximize our time on the rides. Most of the guys bought corndogs or turkey legs from the food carts, but I was craving something sweet. (Surprised?)
As we wandered around, I found myself staring at the baked goodies in the display case of one of the eateries. As soon as I spotted the gigantic snickerdoodles almost as big as my face, I grabbed the softest, chewiest one and headed up to the counter to pay. Yes, I ate a snickerdoodle for lunch—and loved every single bite!
However, I’m a little bit older (and supposedly wiser) now, and I know I shouldn’t be making a meal out of humongous cookies. But because the temptations still creeps up on me every once in a while, I make these Snickerdoodle Protein Overnight Oats as a compromise!
Since many of you enjoyed my last overnight oat recipe so much, I wanted to share this other favorite of mine too. It’s thick and creamy with practically the same texture as cake batter, but it has the taste of cookies and is packed with 16g of protein. It’s the perfect breakfast treat!
Even better? These oats take all of 2 minutes to make. Just throw everything together in a mason jar or tupperware container with a lid the night before. Stir a few times, refrigerate, and your breakfast will be ready when you wake up. That’s especially helpful for busy on-the-go mornings!
There are two really important ingredients in this recipe. Greek yogurt provides the big protein boost and makes the oats really thick and creamy. Butter extract is the secret ingredient that makes them taste like snickerdoodle cookies! It’s sold on the baking aisle near the vanilla extract. (I use it in these recipes too, in case you’re wondering what to do with the leftovers!) You can substitute vanilla in a pinch, but the oats won’t quite have that same iconic cookie taste.
Protein-packed “cookies” for breakfast? Now that’s my kind of meal!
| Snickerdoodle Protein Overnight Oats | | Print |
- ¼ c (25g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- ½ c (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ c (60mL) nonfat milk
- 2 tsp (9g) Truvia (or other sweetener, to taste)
- ½ tsp (3mL) butter extract
- ¼ tsp (<1g) ground cinnamon
- Add all of the ingredients in the order that they’re listed to a mason jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Stir to combine. Screw on the lid, and refrigerate the oats overnight or at least 8 hours.
Any milk and yogurt will work. However, most yogurts don’t contain the same amount of protein and thick creaminess as Greek yogurt.
Vanilla extract may be substituted in place of the butter extract. However, the oats won’t have quite the same iconic cookie taste.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, high protein}
More overnight oat recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Double-Chocolate Brownie Batter Overnight Oats by Chelsea’s Messy Apron
♥ Overnight Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Oats by The Housewife in Training Files
♥ Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats by The Lemon Bowl
♥ Strawberry Overnight Oats by The Roasted Root
I’m very new to overnight oats but i’m wondering–do they always have to be eaten cold? Or is there a way to warm them up without losing their nutritional value?
In general, overnight oats are almost always eaten cold. However, you could probably microwave them for a short period of time the following morning if you wanted to eat them warm instead. I’d love to hear what you think if you try them Elizabeth!
YUM! You’re (literally) feeding my current overnight oat obsession, Amy! I bought truvia last week, I think now it’s time to purchase some butter extract so I can make this for breakfast tomorrow… thanks for helping me continue expanding my full-to-bursting baking pantry, friend!! (heehee, baker problems)
Disneyland band trips were the BEST! I don’t think you and I ever really did Disneyland together when we were in band, though… means we have something to look forward to some day later!!
Yes, we definitely need to go to Disneyland together Andrea! I know you just got back, but… There’s nothing wrong with 2 trips in a year, right? 😉 And yes, total baker problems… You should see mine right now. I’m planning on getting another free-standing cabinet just to hold all of my ingredients!
Overnight oats are one of my favorites! Love this snickerdoodle version, it looks delicious and would be like having healthy and delicious cookies for breakfast which is totally amazing 🙂
Thanks Kelly! I’m finally getting into overnight oats, but oh my goodness are they good!
(Your story is making me SO EXCITED for Disneyworld at the end of this month!! I wish I had you to tour-guide me around – it’s gotta be the same layout as D-land, right??). Also – I’m a big fan of snickerdoodles, so I’m certain I’d love this creamy-looking oatmeal!
Thanks Sarah! I’ve never been to Disneyworld, and… I’m totally intimidated. There are a million more rides and restaurants and activities there compared to Disneyland! But if we ever go to Disneyland together (and we should totally take a blogger trip down there sometime), I’ll totally play tour guide. 😉
These oats sound wonderful. Snickerdoodles are one of my favorites, so I’m definitely trying this.
I really hope you enjoy the oats Susan! 🙂
Just made this and stuck my mason jar in the fridge to settle overnight! I have a couple of questions… 1) I couldn’t find anything called “butter extract.” I looked in both the health section and the baking aisle and the closest thing I could find was “imitation butter flavor” which was right by the other extracts. Is this the right thing? 2) I thought about adding some chia seeds but held off. Do you think they would change the taste? I’ve had them in other overnight oats before and they have been pretty good! Thanks again for coming up with and sharing such awesome, tasty recipes!
I hope you enjoyed the oats Ellen! To answer your questions, yes — imitation butter flavor is the same thing as butter extract. I haven’t added chia seeds to this recipe, but I think they’d work. I’d add an extra tablespoon or two of milk to make sure that the texture stays the same, seeing as chia seeds are really absorbent. I’d love to hear how that works if you try it!
This was probably the first time I’d ever used imitation butter extract. I thought the oats were tasty, but next time I might use half vanilla extract, half imitation butter extract, because the butter flavor was a tiny bit too strong for me.
I’m glad you enjoyed these overnight oats Diana, and I hope you enjoy the half vanilla/half butter extract version even more! 🙂