Cocoa Almond Oatmeal From Samantha Seneviratne

Making a quick batch of oatmeal each day can be a happy, steadying ritual. Finding the sticky pot still soaking in the sink at 6 p.m. is not. So food stylist and The Joys of Baking author Samantha Seneviratne switched to a nonstick skillet—a trick she picked up in a test kitchen at some point in her career, but really put to use when feeding her toddler, Arthur. Not only is the skillet much easier to clean, but the oats also cook down swifter and creamier, as they bubble down over a wider surface area. The following basic ratio works with any milk, mix-ins, and toppings, but you’ll want this chocolate-almond combo for mornings in need of glee. It will smell like hot cocoa as you stir it and remind you of the chocolatey cereals little-kid-you weren’t supposed to have— with a nutty, bittersweet depth to hug your grown-up heart. In Simply Genius, Sam also shared three more riffs: raspberry-cardamom, banana-cacao nib, and nutty multigrain—with leftover grains like quinoa or farro swirled in. But the truth is, you can take Sam’s ratio and technique to any oatmeal you can dream up. Excerpted from Simply Genius: Recipes for Beginners, Busy Cooks & Curious People (Ten Speed Press, September 27, 2022). Hear more about this recipe from Samantha herself on our podcast The Genius Recipe Tapes.