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Chocolate-Strawberry Hugs

I am speechless.

And that doesn’t happen often.

I can’t believe the response to the post on My Big Decision.

Over 300 of the sweetest, most heartfelt comments (and facebook messages, emails, and tweets), and each one made me smile more than the one before it. No wait, that’s not true. They all made me smile the same: a ton! I thought about the kindness involved for someone to take time out of his or her day in order to make someone else’s day brighter. We all lead such busy lives, yet so many of you stopped to wish me well. Reading your comments, I actually started to cry. (I feel silly admitting this, but it’s true!) Thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart.

Today’s breakfast mirrored my bright and happy mood:

melted banana trick1

And it tasted absolutely delicious:

Chocolate-Strawberry Hugs Oatmeal

  • 1 serving raw oats (40g)
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries (100g)
  • salt (I used very scant 1/4 tsp)
  • about 1 cup water or milk of choice (240g)
  • 1-3 tbsp creamer (I used 15g Silk)
  • chocolate chips
  • sweetener: I didn’t use any, but most people will want some.*

*In place of sugar, you can use the Melted Banana Trick.

Procedure: The night before, I microwave the oats, salt, and water in a large pyrex measuring cup for 3 minutes (2 minutes if using quick oats). Then I leave it in the microwave for 5 more minutes before transferring—uncovered—to the fridge. Next day, I add the other ingredients, stir, and microwave again until the berries melt into the oats. You can even blend it all together if you wish! The Magic Bullet is great for this. As for the chocolate… well, everyone knows that strawberries and chocolate go great together, right? So add some chips, nibs, powder, whatever!

I feel so classy eating oatmeal from a pretty glass.

Classy is the new weird.

melted banana

After breakfast, I lounged around in my pjs sweaty running gear (sorry, tmi?) and read incredible comment after incredible comment.

Seriously, I could not get over all the incredible comments!!

This guy caught up on some reading, too:

henry 14

And then he took a nap.

henry 9

For tomorrow’s recipe post, how about “readers’ choice”?

Your Choice:

  • PB&J Blondies
  • Rice Crispy Treat Babies
  • Banana Bon Bons
  • Flourless Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Or a surprise? Tomorrow’s post will be for whichever recipe gets the most votes.

And thank you all again!!!

Published on August 3, 2011

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
featured on The 
Today Show, CNN, 
Fox, The 
Huffington Post, and 
ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

Learn more about Katie

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220 Comments

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        • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

          I haven’t made them in a while, but if I remember correctly, it’s basically just the peanut butter babies’ recipe with coconut flour subbed (in an equal amount) for the pb if you wanna make skinny samoas babies, and pb2 (which, I think, is just peanut flour?) subbed for the peanut butter if you want to make skinny pb babies (or skinny chocolate pb babies).

  1. Arielle (Your Vegan Girlfriend) says

    PB&J Blondies! And I agree about the skinny fudge!!

    SOoglad we can rest easy knowing CCK isn’t going anywhere 🙂 Seriously, as new vegan blogger you are such an inspiration to me! Thanks for all you do and all you make! I LOVE your blog!

  2. Alexandra (Veggin' Out in the Kitchen) says

    I vote for the surprise! I looooove surprises 😀 But I know all the recipes will be incredible, so I’m happy with whatever one wins! 🙂 And those chocolate strawberry bomb oats…. I need to get strawberries so I can make it asap!

    Awww I’m so glad you enjoyed all the comments! You deserve them SO much. You really do! 😀

    <3 <3

  3. Jennifer says

    Hard choices, they all sound so intriguing…. ok, flourless chocolate chip cookies! Chocolate always wins, right? 🙂

  4. Lori says

    Blondies please! I have been craving them for some time now :).

    Congratulations on following your dreams! I gave up a fairly successful career a few years back to go to vet school (at age 40!) because I also did not want to wonder “what would have happened if I had…” No matter what happens, it is worth going for it!

  5. Jenny says

    I love reading your blog as one of the first things I do in the morning; it seems to me that it never fails to put a smile on my face. I’m so glad we were able to the the same for you! 🙂

    And just because you mentioned how you weren’t a professionally trained photographer, in yesterday’s post… I have to comment today that, yes, those are gorgeous photos of your chocolate-cherry-bomb oatmeal!

    As for tomorrow… I’d vote for the flourless chocolate chip cookies! (Chocolate is always the first priority!)

  6. kate says

    rice crispy treats or the flourless cookies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    (and don’t forget about the skinny fudge babies! i’m looking forward to those immensely!)

  7. Christine says

    Banana bon bons – yum! And good for you for sticking with the blog – I hope it all works out for the best and we can continue to enjoy your posts and recipes for years to come! 🙂

  8. Gloria says

    PB&J Blondies! I have a jar of Pinot Noir jam in my fridge and I’m itching to use it in a boozy adults only dessert, hehe. But really, they all sound delicious!

  9. Rachel says

    Rice crispy babies!
    It’s so nice to see you taking such a leap of faith with the blog and your future–I’m definitely at a strange crossroads in my life too, and have really been doing some deep thinking about where I want to go from here. 🙂 Keep up your positive attitude and everything will work out beautifully for you, I’m sure!

  10. Vegan Alexandra says

    PB&J blondies, please! I love your blondies recipes, so peanut butter and jelly in a blondie is like Heaven. I’ve actually made black bean brownies with your blondie recipes, just added cocoa powder and other small alterations. Hmm… Maybe I’ll be able to experiment with PB&J brownies?! 😀

    Anyway, good luck with your big decision. That post was very inspiring, to say the least. (;
    Hope everything turns out well!

  11. Maddie says

    I vote for Flourless Chocolate-Chip Cookies! I found your blog through a friend a few months ago, and I LOVE it! It’s always refreshing to see people follow their dreams…you go girl!

  12. Ally says

    PB&J Blondies PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! I voted for these last week and the PB&J fudge won out. I hope this week is the week! I am DYING for the recipe (and am actually saving a can of chickpeas for when you do)!

  13. Amanda says

    pb and j blondies! And I am SOOOO happy you’re keeping up your blog it’s the first thing I check in the morning! It’s so nice to have your warmth and positivity!

  14. Emily says

    I vote flourless chocolate chip cookies!!! I’ve been trying to figure out a recipe for those for a while, but I’m sure yours is a thousand times better than anything I could come up with!

  15. Aja says

    I’m glad so many people wrote you wonderful comments. I had a thought and you might have already thought of this, but you should write a cookbook with all of your amazing recipes. It could bring in a little money and I know I would love to own one.

    Chocolate Chip cookies! One of my friends just turned gluten-free and I’m trying to find recipes for her.

  16. L. says

    I’ve been longing for those pb blondies since you first posted about them. We are BIG fans of both the chocolate chip and snickerdoodle versions!

  17. Kat says

    All those coments on your latest post just show how important you are for all of us. So keep up the great work,Katie,we love you!!
    And besides… It wasn’t difficult to decide upon what to vote for. As I LOVE every recipe including oats and cereal, I’m seriously the most ecxited about your Rice Krispy Treat Babies!! 😀

  18. Cindy says

    Oh dearie me, how am I supposed to choose just one??? Well, I’ll go with pbj blondies but be happy no matter what!

  19. Jan says

    I am a day late reading your blog from yesterday. Thanks Katie for always insiring your readers to try new, and good for you treats. I was amazed that you were able to come up with so many yummy items made with garbanzo beans. For todays post I wanted to vote for one of these recipes, then another. Quite a quandary?? Hmmm. I think most of us would love to see all of them. Posting each one a different day would suffice. Love you, your blog, and your decisions.

  20. Megan says

    PBJ blondies, please! And you totally deserve a million comments!!! I adore adore adore your blog. It makes me happy every day!

  21. Jenny$1983 says

    I guess all those lovely comments are what karma looks like 🙂

    Argh, what a hard choice to make! The blondies edge it for me, I think! Oooh, that oatmeal looks ridiculously beautiful (and classy), wow, I know what I’m having for my next breakfast 😀

    PS I’m typing this in my sweaty workout gear 😉

  22. Jess says

    they all sound amazing, but how about rice crispies? i don’t recall seeing a recipe like those. i would have loved to make that (the oatmeal bomb), but i ran out of oats, which i had also been using to wash my face. i’m going on holiday soon, so i might get some after i return.

  23. Charissa says

    Soooo glad you’ve decided to stay! We’d miss you otherwise! I’d miss ya! 😉

    Glad to know I’m not the only one who is all new to this blogging thing! I’d love to make it my full time job, but I feel so lost..haha…thanks for the inspiration!

  24. Jamie aka "Sometimes Healthy" Girl says

    I’m sorry I missed your big decision post yesterday! Just got back from vacation and have been swamped with work.

    Let me just say, “CONGRATS!” As someone who has been in the workforce for a long time and only recently rediscovered her passion (writing), I cannot commend you enough for your decision. Now, you can look back without regrets and be happy doing what you love.

    You’re great at this and it’s where you belong. Way to follow your heart 🙂 It makes me so happy to see people do that!

    Oh and I vote Rice Crispy Treat Babies!

  25. Anita @ Silly Runner Girl says

    PB&J Blondies, PLEASE!!!! My tummy begs for more votes on this treat!!!

    Although it looks like Rice Krispy Treat babies are in the lead, honestly all those receipes sound yumtastic, but I have been dieing for that blondie recipe!! 😀

  26. Lisa @ Healthful Sense says

    Glad you are following your dreams Katie!! I do love to read your blog… I may not comment everyday but I read it every day 🙂 It proves that you don’t need formal training to be a successful blogger… just passion and persistence!! Keep it up 🙂

  27. Lorin says

    All of those sound good but since I love peanut butter, PB & J blondies take my vote! I’m happy your here to stay, I would miss reading your blog in the mornings!

  28. Michaela says

    oooooooooooooooooh my god, Katie!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can´t believe the news your breaking!! that is absolutely fantastic! I wish you all the best, from the bottom of my heart.
    I am so happy for you and also for us 😉
    rice krispie treats sound delicious to me!!

  29. Sarah says

    Choco chip cookies are the way to go. Oh, did you say flourless? Yes,please! Flourless makes me happy. It makes me sing in the shower. That is not info to be shared. If no on else wants to see that recipe tomorrow, i will pout and NOT want to sing in the shower. Wait, is that a good thing?

  30. Kaitlyn@TheTieDyeFIles says

    Isn’t the blogging community amazing?? I’m so glad we were able to make you so happy, because you make US happy on a daily basis with your delicious recipes and your happy-go-lucky posts!

    I vote banana bon bons!! I have about 15 bananas sitting in my fridge!

  31. NaturalAsCanBe says

    Ohmigosh, that strawberry-bomb oatmeal looks absolutely positively heavenly!!! Gosh, I’d love to be able to do food presentation/photography as lovely and classy as that. <3 I like to bike to the nearby thrift store to look for neat little dishes and glasses, and sometimes I find pretty nice ones for really cheap (and that store gives all profits to the humane society!).
    I'm so glad you were so touched by all the comments. It's true: there were a TON of them. Just goes to show how popular you and your blog are and how many people support you. (-;
    Banana Bon-bons sound tasty, by the way. Or a surprise. I always love surprises. (-;

  32. Lauren says

    OH please, oh PLEASE, OH PLEASE flourless chocolate chip cookies!!! I’ve been searching for a recipe like this for months. MONTHS! Please don’t make me wait any longer. I’d greatly appreciate it. I’m not even gonna look at the rest of the comments, because I’m probably out-voted. But I wouldn’t be too upset if you shared the recipe for the PB&J blondies next, either.

  33. Jen says

    I vote for Banana Bon Bons! Bon Bons were one of my favorite desserts when I was little. Wow, I haven’t had one in forever! They’re so good!

  34. Olivia says

    I vote either PB&J Blondies or the Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies!

    I’ve been following your blog for about two months now and I’ve really loved reading your ideas. I think I’ve made the Deep Dish Cookie Pie about five times! My kitchen appreciates you following your dreams 🙂

  35. Jordan says

    Hey Katie!
    I’ve been following your blog for several weeks now and I am so glad I found it! Your recipes are amazing, and I’ve already tried some of them. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the strawberry pancakes! 🙂
    So glad you’re keeping the blog and I would love to see a post on Banana Bon Bons! 🙂
    Have a blessed day!

  36. merry says

    i feel like i’m making everything haha. i’ve made cookie dough balls, three ingredient peanut butter balls, oatmeal boats, funfetti cookie dough balls, banana bread, and gingerbread spread/butter
    by the way- i made the banana bread then i decided to make the gingerbread spread to go on top. it was delicious!! i love that gingerbread stuff i just eat it as is. and i put it on toast last night 🙂 yum yum yum
    but i have a suggestion- could you possibly give out more recipes that involve using cocoa powder? i have a box of it! thanks 🙂

  37. Ab says

    I’m so super new to your blog (like 2 days), but I am in love! I CAN’T WAIT to see what else you come up with! I have to say that as a dairy-free person who also tried to eat as healthy as humanly possible, I so appreciate ALL of your desserts. Now if only EATING and MAKING your recipes could be a full time job too:)

  38. Lauren says

    I made this today for breakfast! Actually, I made my own variation of the oatmeal. I made my oatmeal with 100 percent cocoa powder, freshly brewed coffee, fresh strawberries, stevia, and a little salt. I was going to make your cheesecake frosting to put on top, but I didn’t have any more vegan cream cheese. That will be my breakfast tomorrow: Mocha Berry Cheesecake Oatmeal!

  39. Megan says

    So…I know what I am making for breakfast tomorrow! Your oatmeal looked FABULOUS! I am glad we could brighten your day because you certainly do the same for me! My vote is for PBJ blondies or rice krispie treats!

  40. Elise says

    I seriously want your glass, it’s so pretty! I’d love to buy some more kitchenware but I think my bf might go a little mental seeing as I’ve already taken over the kitchen with all my stuff!

    I vote banana bon bons they sound awesome!

  41. Emily says

    Banana Bon Bons! I love all of your recipes, though; I’m so happy you’ve decided to continue with your blog!

  42. Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn says

    Ahhhh!! This is such a toughie…..I have to go with the chocolate chip cookies, I’m intrigued as to how they’re gonna go flourless!

  43. Alyssa says

    PB&J Blondies, please!
    Oh, who am I kidding? I’m excited for ANY of those recipes!

    The number of comments is simply a testament to you and your blog.

    And your dog is adorable!!!!!

  44. Elizabeth @ RunWithSneakers says

    Banana Bon Bons. While I wait, I will make myself that Strawberry-Chocolate Oatmeal Bomb. Looks delish!

  45. Kristin @ STUFT Mama says

    Katie- Just read you BIG DECISION and am soooo excited for you. What an amazing opportunity. YOu will do fabulous and i look forward to your posts each and every day! (If only I had the tiem to try your recipes every day.)

  46. Lisa says

    I read your blog a lotttttttt but I’ve never commented before butt i am in new York city and went to pure food and wine and one lucky duck and immediately thought of you when I walked into one lucky duck because they had coconut butter!!!!

    My mom thought it was a little odd that this jar of coconut reminded me of some girl I’ve never met! But just finally wanted to comment and say how much I love reading your blog!! And I recently made chocolate chip blondies and served them to my very non vegan friends and they all loved them!! So thanks so much and thanks for not ending your blog!!!

  47. Katy sparrow says

    hey katie!! sooo glad you’re going to keep sharing ur brilliant, unique creations with the blogosphere!! and mpst importantly, me! haha.
    I am leaving college station tomorrow to do a month of research in alaska! and the first thing i’m gonna do when I get back (after a shower, which i’m sure i’ll want most!) is look up ur gorgeous pics and recipe for a pb&j blondies and make up a batch!! So no rush for me on any one post u listed (they all sound divine!) as i will be reading allll of ur awesome posts i’ll have missed at the end of the month!
    xoxxo

      • Katy sparrow says

        Yes, right!! I was just in austin over the weekend and walking around for the whole day in the heat in it was another thing entirely! I demolished a whole bag of frozen mango at the mothership of whole foods 🙂
        Usually I’m indoors all day and only am out on my bicycle in the morning and evening to and from A&Ms campus..
        I knew about TX heat from ur blog before I moved last month but I could just not imagine it before getting here! You hafta experience its relentlessness in order to understand it!

  48. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says

    Girl it was a huge post. I am glad you had a huge, loving, thoughtful response from your readers. We all love ya and only wish the best for you.

    And I only wish that you were able to come on this photography workshop. Elena and I were talking about what a sweetheart you are 🙂 And thanks for the tweet…I totally meant what I said: would love to plan a meetup/trip one day!

    xo

  49. Crafty lil vegan says

    If i had rice crispies in the house.. i’d vote for those.. but alas, i don’t! But i do have banana’s… hmm… oh, Surprise me! I can’t decide! hehe ♥
    It’s so lovely that so many people left comments =] But then, you are a lovely person! And you deserve every one of them – And more! ♥
    xx

  50. Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free says

    I vote for flourless chocolate chip cookies! Because I love chocolate chips…and all things flourless!!!

  51. Leslie Paquette says

    Banana bon bons sound different and tasty. Of course they all sound delish so any recipe you pick I’ll surely try.

  52. Kristen, Sweetly says

    I’m late on the uptake, but SO EXCITING! Congrats on the for-now decision. Of course it’s something you can change your mind about. If it feels right, it’s the perfect decision. 🙂 So happy for you, Katie.

  53. Stephanie @ StephSnacks says

    Congrats Katie!! This is such an exciting time in your life and I am so, so excited to continue reading your amazing blog!

  54. Tina says

    Hi Katie, I’m SOOO glad you decided to keep blogging. I would have seriously mourned the loss of my favorite blogger! Two quick things, I like this iteration of the new header very much. I prefer this picture of you to the other one. And I just wanted to let you know that something weird is going on with your RSS feed. I’m getting it every other day with the most recent blog followed by the previous day’s. So I get them all eventually, but half of them are a day late. It’s not a big deal, but I thought you’d want to know.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Ugh, that does not make me happy to know… especially since I don’t know anything about RSS feeds! No, seriously I don’t. I just figured out last week what RSS even stands for! So I have no idea how to fix it :(. I wish I knew things about computers… it would make life so much easier! 😉

  55. Tara says

    Aw Katie, you’re the best! I know that you read every comment and that’s why I come back every single day. I feel like a lot of popular bloggers don’t, but I know you do from your sweet responses! I’m so glad that you’re going to be doing this for a while 🙂

    uh rice krispy babies?! i’m in!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Oh goodness! Reading and responding to comments is the BEST part of blogging. I agree that it’s so sad some people ignore it when others take the time to comment on their blogs! They are missing out on meeting amazing people. Plus, sometimes people leave me the yummiest recipe ideas or inspiration in comments!

  56. Pure2raw twins says

    hey beautiful, sorry we did not get a chance to comment on your big news yesterday, we have not been ourselves lately. But wanted to say congrats!!!!! We are both so happy for you and know your blog will only keep getting bigger and better.

    love u
    Pure2raw twins

  57. Katie says

    Flourless Chocolate Chip cookies! I’d be happy with the rice krispy recipe…..I have a box or two in my panty that I really need to use up!

  58. Michelle says

    So I am late commenting on your big decision, but I was so happy to see that you will keep going! I LOVE trying some of your recipes out at home! My latest favorite has been your peanut butter cookies. My kids love them too! Thanks for putting so much into this!

  59. BroccoliHut says

    As someone who enjoys dishware just as much as you do, I completely agree that it’s so much fun to eat meals out of exotic/cool dishes. I love drinking smoothies out of beer steins:)

  60. Maddy says

    Yay I’m so happy you’ll keep blogging! You’re such an inspiration, especially for someone like me who has had some of the same experiences as you. Each recipe, each post touches me and always makes my day better. Speaking of making my day better…flourless chocolate chip cookies would definitely help that situation 🙂

  61. Marianne says

    I think that’s the perfect glass to eat an oatmeal parfait from 🙂 I need to get some better glassware in this house. Or just unearth mine from storage…hmm…

  62. Emily says

    Oooh I’m curious about the banana bonbons but… I’ve got to vote for the flourless chocolate-chip cookies! Sorry, bonbons, but cookies will always be my #1.

  63. Karin the Veg Head says

    Hi Katie, I would love to see the pb and j blondies. But anything you post is always gobbled up by my, both mentally and usually physically too, if I have all the ingredients :).

  64. Kirsten says

    I have a question about this recipe. I just made coconut chocolate chip baked oatmeal and i love the texture of it (and the flavor). would it be possible to bake this or will it not work? I’m not a huge fan of the texture of regular oatmeal so if baking it is possible, i would much rather do that.

      • kirsten says

        Today I had a chance to try this baked. I sort of combined your coconut chocolate chip cookie dough recipe with this recipe. I used 1/2 cup oats, a tiny bit of salt, added a spoonful of flax seed, a cup of frozen strawberries, a 1/2 cup combo of applesauce and milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, a splash of almond extract, and of course i had to top it all with some chocolate chips on top. i think this is my new favorite type of oatmeal. the liquid from the frozen strawberries gave the oatmeal an amazing flavor and the chocolate chips with the strawberries was delicious. i’m going to experiment with blackberries tomorrow and see how that turns out. i’m so glad i found your website. i used to eat oatmeal all the time and i got so sick of it because i didn’t know what to add to it to make it taste better. now i actually enjoy eating it thanks to your recipes 🙂

  65. Ms Journalist says

    I am so happy I to have been led to your website. I saw the link from Gina on skinnytaste.com. I don’t really like oatmeal because I have found it boring, but you have some great recipes that I am dying to try!!! And the fact that your recipes are vegan is an extra bonus.

  66. Amal says

    Confused. Are the cherries in addition to the strawberries or instead of the strawberries. Cherries are not in the list of ingredients.

  67. Alanna says

    This. Was. AWESOME!!! I bought strawberries at the store last night since they were on sale, and after searching your blog for strawberry recipes, I settled on this one (making the shake in a bit, hehe). I took it for lunch today, and oh man, was it ever good. I felt like I was eating dessert for my meal, but it was good for me! I may have to make this again tomorrow, and now I have an excuse to buy strawberries more often. 😀

  68. carolyn says

    This looks good, but I’m allergic to strawberries (it’s a very unfortunate life…)
    What could I substitute for the strawberries, any recommendations?

  69. Jennifer says

    I live in a small town where non-dairy creamer is very expensive and hard to find. Is there another nondairy option for this recipe?

  70. Kiki valle says

    Hey katie!
    I’m in DESPERATE need of knowing what brand or kind of chocolate chips you use! Please help!
    Thank you :))

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