Happy early St. Patrick’s Day! Having studied abroad in Ireland, I have a special place in my heart for St. Patrick’s Day.
I considered utilizing my Jameson collection for my St. Patrick’s Day-themed recipe this year, but decided to keep it PG and finally make the Mint Avocado Frosting I’ve been dreaming of.
There’s a trick to making quality avocado frosting. It does require some sweetener. I tend to go light on added sweeteners, but every time I make avocado frosting, I remember that plenty of maple syrup is truly necessary. Avocado prefers being savory, so sometimes it needs a little extra maple syrup to persuade it. 🙂
For the base, I used the zucchini version (from the Chocolate Pecan Baked Oatmeal), but if you prefer the avocado version, follow the recipe for Salted Brownie Baked Oatmeal (without the salt), or if you prefer the banana version, try German Chocolate Baked Oatmeal (without the Coconut-Pecan Butter).
What you'll need:
- 1/2 cup's worth of peeled and diced zucchini*
- scant 1/3 cup milk of choice, or water
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 2-3 tsp maple syrup
- 4 tsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 a ripe avocado
- 1 tbsp milk of choice
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 tsp maple syrup (can add more to suit your tastes)
- few spinach leaves (optional, for green color)
How to make it:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a single-serving ramekin with non-stick spray.
- Puree all ingredients for the oatmeal together in a food processor. If it's too dry, add more milk one teaspoon at a time until it reaches a nice batter consistency. If it's too watery, add a little bit of oats. (It should not be as thick as cookie dough).
- Transfer mixture to prepared ramekin. Transfer to the ramekin and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until it no longer looks “wet” on top.
- While the oatmeal is baking prepare the frosting: dump all ingredients in a small food processor or blend with an immersion blender (that is what I did). Taste and adjust sweetener as you see necessary.
- After the oatmeal is out of the oven and has cooled, top with frosting (if you put the frosting on too early, it will melt…and not in a good way). You can either spread it on, or you can “pipe” it like traditional frosting. If you don’t have a piping bag, put it in a Ziplock bag and cut off one corner on the bottom–pipe away!
Just an FYI:
*You can sub any other puree in place of the zucchini. Possible options include half a mashed banana, 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, or 1/3 an avocado, mashed.
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