Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie

gluten-free, vegan // yields 16-20oz

1 1/4 – 1 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, divided

1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 small frozen banana

3 medjool dates, pitted

2 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons raw cacao nibs, or dark chocolate chips

1 teaspoon raw cacao powder, or unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

[scant] 1/8 teaspoon almond extract

handful of ice

In a small bowl stir together 3/4 cup milk, the oats, and chia seeds. Set in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight [do not skip].

Place thickened oat mixture into your blender along with all other ingredients, starting with 1/2 cup more of the milk. Blend on high until smooth [there will be a bit of texture from the cacao nibs]. Add more milk to reach desired consistency.

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notes: Soak + drain dates in warm water for 1-4 hours for easier blending, if desired. The cacao nibs will leave a bit of texture throughout the smoothie. To avoid this, sub with 2 extra teaspoons of cacao/cocoa powder instead. The almond extract [very potent] helps lend a cookie flavor, but if you don’t have it on hand use 1 teaspoon vanilla [total]. Sub 1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey for the dates if desired.

This is one of those recipes where I’m like, “how is this the first time I’m making this!?”

Homemade Strawberry Almond Milk | edibleperspective.com

Homemade almond milk has been a staple in my kitchen for some time now. I became hooked the day I ditched the cheesecloth and bought a fancy nut milk bag [which I still despise the name of].

They’re inexpensive, reusable, easier to clean, and easier to use. My mom is in town right now and we joked for far too long about nut milk bags and all possible name variations. It somehow never gets old. I still prefer NMB.

Homemade Strawberry Almond Milk | edibleperspective.com

Being a lover of Earthbound Organic’s products well before we started working together I was ecstatic to see their line of frozen fruit start popping into stores. Frozen fruit is always, always in our freezer, and EBF’s frozen fruit has been ripe + sweet every time. There’s nothing worse than buying a bag of sour frozen fruit.

And their bags! First, I just love how vibrant they are. They totally jump out at you when walking down the freezer aisle. Second, they have a resalable zipper. This is a huge convenience, as I always just twist the bag shut hoping it seals enough to prevent freezer burn, which it usually does not. And lastly, each bag includes a recipe idea on the back to experiment with.

Homemade Strawberry Almond Milk | edibleperspective.com

Their strawberries, blueberries, and cherries have been a staple in my cart for months now. And then one day it hit me while whipping up a batch of almond milk.

FLAVORED almond milk. I’ve made chocolate almond milk before but never thought to experiment with other flavors. Enter Earthbound Organic’s frozen strawberries. Such a no brainer.

It’s refreshing, lightly sweetened, and kind of addicting. Not nearly as filling as a smoothie but it makes a great snack, especially post work out.

Perfect for the kiddos or the kid in you.

Homemade Strawberry Almond Milk | edibleperspective.com

Today’s post is sponsored by Earthbound Farms. Product opinions and recipes are always my own. Thank you for supporting the occasional sponsored post that helps fund all the deliciousness + behind the scenes action you see here.

Homemade Strawberry Almond Milk | edibleperspective.com

While I typically wouldn’t sit down to sip a glass of plain almond milk I would most definitely sit down to sip a glass of strawberry almond milk.

I actually drank this straight from the jar. Because sometimes I not only have a messy kitchen but also no manners.

Homemade Strawberry Almond Milk | edibleperspective.com

Print this!

Homemade Strawberry Almond Milk

gluten-free, vegan // yields 4 1/2 cups

1 cup raw almonds, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight then rinsed + drained
3 1/2 cups filtered water
2 1/2 cups Earthbound Organic frozen strawberries, thawed and halved
4-6 pitted medjool dates, soaked in water for 1 hour then drained
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Rinse almonds and place in your blender with the water. Turn to low working up to the highest setting and blend until the almonds are pulverized, ~30 seconds. Hold your nut milk bag over a large bowl and slowly pour the milk through the bag. Squeeze all of the milk out through the bag being sure to hold the top tightly so no pulp comes through.

Turn the bag inside out and place the almond pulp in a sealed container for up to 3 days in the fridge. Rinse out the bag.

Place the strained milk back into your blender with the thawed strawberries, dates, and vanilla extract. Blend until completely combined. Pour through the nut milk bag over the empty bowl once again and squeeze all of the milk out. Pour into a jar and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can taste when it has gone bad.

notes: To soak almonds, place in a bowl covered by water on your counter for at least 4 hours or overnight, then rinse + drain. Depending on the sweetness and flavor of your strawberries you may need to blend in more. Feel free to sub in a sweetener of choice instead of dates. Start with 1 1/2 tablespoons then taste and go from there. Fresh strawberries can be used. Cheesecloth can be used instead of a nut milk bag but the bags make straining much easier and they can be used over and over again. Excess milk can be frozen into ice cubes before going bad and used in smoothies.

Homemade Strawberry Almond Milk | edibleperspective.com

Leftover almond pulp ideas: Almond pulp can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen in a sealed bag to use at a later date.

add almond pulp to smoothies
make peanut butter banana almond pulp crackers or breakfast bread [and then use the crackers as cereal!]
make savory almond pulp crackers
dry almond pulp in a dehydrator or in your oven on the lowest temperature and add to baked goods