Nightcap Oats

Now before you get all on me saying these look nightcap oats look remarkably suss – let me first say, ok I agree with you. BUT these single-handedly helped me kick my Halo Top habit AND get a great night’s sleep. So no matter what they look like, I sure as hell am not complaining about this chocolate overnight oats recipe.

I treat these oats like dessert oats. They are delicious, they are jam-packed with filling ingredients and they feel like eating something rich and chocolatey, when really cacao is the only player in the chocolate game here.

I like to prep these in the morning and have them ready by night. They are so so good. And now I’m saving $6 on my ice cream pints so like win-win no?

Ingredients you need for these chocolate overnight oats

• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 large ripe banana
• 1-2 tbsp cacao powder
• 1/4 cup frozen cherries
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup plant based milk
• 1/2 tbsp flax (optional for topping)
• 1 tbsp chocolate chips

How to make these chocolate nightcap oats

• Add the rolled oats and almond butter to a sealable bowl or jar. (And yes, I did use an old almond butter jar for mine!)
• On a flat surface, mash together the banana and cacao powder until you get a chocolate-pudding like consistency. Add this to the bowl with the oats and almond butter.
• Add the cherries and salt to the bowl, top with plant based milk and stir well.
• Seal the bowl or jar and let this sit in the fridge for 30 minutes up to 12 hours. The longer you can let it chill, the better
• Top with flax and chocolate chips and enjoy 🙂

Why these chocolate oats will help you sleep

Ok now onto the good stuff – these are the ingredients that will help you sleep, improve your mood, all from delicious delicious overnight oats:

• Frozen Cherries – cherries are high in melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone. So even a bit of cherries in these oats can relieve the severity of insomnia and increase overall sleep efficiency.
• Banana – BANANAS ARE A MIRACLE FRUIT – they are are rich in sleep-promoting nutrients like magnesium, tryptophan, vitamin B6, carbs, and potassium, all of which have been linked to improved sleep.
• Oats – my favorite ingredient contains tryptophan, an amino-acid the brain converts into serotonin, which relaxes the body before falling asleep. 
• Cacao – also contains serotonin and tryptophan! So just like oats, it’ll help you sleep 🙂

Looking for oats for the morning?

I ofc have those too – here are a few of my favorites:

And that’s it for this nightcap chocolate oatmeal recipe!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3