When it comes to chocolate, this is the most indulgent time of year. For the month of love, you really can’t go wrong with indulging in the dark delight. And let’s be honest: we’ve all woken up with chocolate cravings from time to time.
Rather than denying yourself, here’s some sweet news: there’s no good reason why chocolate in one form or another can’t be part of your morning meal to kick off a day of feeling extra special.
Having a little chocolate while you welcome the sunrise can be a fun way to infuse bittersweet flavour nuances and, yes, nutritional benefits into a healthy breakfast. The key is to choose the most nutritious types and add them to already heart-hero recipes.
Now that we have you on board with the idea of luxuriating in a bit of chocolate goodness in the AM, let’s move on to the fun part. Here are some delicious, nutritious ways to satisfy any chocolate urge while still in your jammies.
Mocha Quinoa Bowl
Chocolate-Nut Parfait Toast
Black Forest Granola
Chocolate Chunk Beet Bread
Chocolate Cheesecake Crepes
The Chocolate Family
The essential chocolate intel, ready to put into culinary practice (a.k.a. breakfast). Using these guises of chocolate will let you eat it before lunch without regret.
Cacao nibs
These smashed-up roasted cacao beans are small-but-mighty nutritional powerhouses with healthy levels of heart-friendly antioxidants, dietary fibre, and magnesium. Think of them as 100 percent potent chocolate crunch.
Dark chocolate
Not all bars are created equal. What you need to understand is the cocoa percentage: how much of the bar is made up of cocoa solids versus other stuff like sugar and lecithin. The key is to read the product label looking for “dark” bars or packaged chocolate chunks that state they’re at least 60 percent cocoa and do not contain sugar as the first ingredient, which means your breakfast gets less of the sweet stuff and more chocolate-derived antioxidants. Better yet, seek out brands that are certified fair trade, so cacao farmers get a bigger slice of the pie and don’t employ forced child labour.
Cacao powder
Bold chocolatey flavour without the fatty cocoa butter. Ideally, you want to stir natural or “raw” cacao powder into your oatmeal and pancake batter since it hasn’t been treated with alkali. It will also contain more antioxidants and deeper flavour than Dutch-processed powder, which is often spelled “cocoa.”
Morning glories
Here are some more ways to eat chocolate for breakfast that would even entice Willy Wonka:
- Swirl a handful of dark chocolate chunks into a pot of steamy oatmeal.
- Stir cacao powder into batter for pancakes or waffles.
- Blend cacao powder into breakfast smoothies.
- Drizzle melted dark chocolate over a bowl of yogurt and berries.
- Sprinkle cacao nibs into a bowl of granola and milk.
- Try grinding cacao nibs with your coffee beans.
- Cover a slice of sourdough bread with nut butter, apple slices, and chocolate shavings.
- Fold dark chocolate chips into the batter when making banana bread.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD, is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
Nancy Hillis
Michelle von Hahn
Alexa Everett
Laura Bolt