Healthy Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Quick Bread

Yields: 1 loaf, 12 slices

This is one of my favorite breakfasts and snacks during the holidays and wintertime! It’s supremely moist and tender with lots of rich chocolate, bright cranberries, soft oats, and hints of warm cinnamon. Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic or sealed inside of an airtight container. Individual slices freeze well, too!

¾ cup (75g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 cup + 2 tbsp (270mL) nonfat milk, divided
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1 ½ tsp liquid stevia
1 ¼ cups (125g) fresh cranberries, diced
3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, 6 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a third bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and liquid stevia. Stir in the oat mixture, mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining ¾ cup of milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the cranberries and 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips on top. Cover the top with foil, and try to push up the foil in the center to ensure it doesn’t touch the batter while baking. Bake covered at 350°F for 35 minutes. Acting very quickly, remove the pan from the oven, and carefully remove the foil. Immediately put the pan back in the oven, and continue baking the quick bread for an additional 30-35 minutes (for a total of 65-70 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes: Instant oats are also known as “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned oats. To make your own out of old-fashioned oats, add ¾ cup (75g) of old-fashioned oats to a blender or food processor, and pulse until they’re ⅛ to ¼ of their original size.

For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 cups (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.

Remember to measure your oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will make your quick bread turn out dry. This is especially true of the oats because they act like sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the batter.

The quick bread requires 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the loaf maintains its shape and texture while cooling. Without both egg whites, the loaf will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.

I do not recommend substituting for the liquid stevia, if at all possible. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) I buy mine online here because that's the best price I've found. However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the quick bread, substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar and reduce the milk to ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (195mL). You may also substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave and reduce the milk to ½ cup (120mL) instead. The baking time may vary with either of those substitutions as well.

Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

For a shortcut, I pulse my cranberries a few times in a food processor to chop them. For best results, they should be no larger than ¼ of their original size.

If you prefer, you may substitute ¾ cup (120g) dried cranberries in place of the fresh cranberries. Before beginning this recipe, add your dried cranberries to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover them with water. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 1 minute. Let the dried cranberries sit while preparing the quick bread batter. Once ready to add them, drain the dried cranberries and gently fold them into the batter.

Do not use an electric mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in a dense or tough cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

You must cover the batter with foil during the first stage of baking. This allows the center to cook through without the top turning overly brown or burnt. Work very quickly when removing the foil! If you leave the pan out of the oven for too long, the loaf will start to collapse, and it won’t recover to fully rise properly.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/12/16/healthy-cranberry-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-breakfast-quick-bread/