No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Bites

There is a reason why we all crave desserts when we are stressed.
It’s because stressed = desserts spelled backwards. Do you already know about this?

Source

I learnt about this recently, when I was sipping my cup of tea at Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie. It was then that I saw this little phrase printed on the inside of the tea cup. Don’t you love the word play here?

Since I have been feeling particularly stressed up about a work-related exam that I am studying for, I decided to do what it says – make some desserts. A feel-good dessert that is chocolaty, comforting, and that is not too hard on my waist-line.

When I saw this recipe by Angela from Oh She Glows, I knew it was just what I needed for my dessert and chocolate fix. I made some changes to this recipe by using 60% dark chocolate (instead of chocolate chips), and added some desiccated coconut (because coconuts are awesome). You can’t go very wrong with banana, chocolate, oatmeal and coconut. It was love at first bite for me. The banana gave it the natural sweetness, so I didn’t really need to add any additional sugar; the flavours of the ingredients went really well together too. I had to stop myself from finishing everything in one sitting.

While I do have other ways of relieving stress  - such as running, doing yoga, or sipping cups of tea – indulging in (dark) chocolaty desserts is still my favorite way of keeping myself sane:)

No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Bites
Adapted from Oh She Glows
Yields 8 small cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup 60% dark chocolate, chopped
1 large banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tbsp buckwheat groats (optional)
1 tbsp desiccated coconut (optional)
1 tsp cocoa powder

Directions

1. Place chopped dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, and melt the chocolate chips for about 50 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave, and stir the content, so the chocolate will melt completely.
2. Chop the banana, and add it to the bowl of melted chocolate. Mash with a fork until you get a chocolate mixture. 
3. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl, and stir until all the ingredients are evenly mixed. The oatmeal should be well coated with chocolate.
4. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners. Drop 2 tbsp of oatmeal mixture into each cup. Lightly flatten it using the back of a spoon.
5. Freeze for about an hour, or until firm. Serve. Alternatively, leave it in the freezer for your daily dose of indulgence. If the chocolate is frozen, leave it outside for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Cook’s Note 
*Vegan: Use dairy-free dark chocolate.
**Gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats.

What do you do when you are stressed?