Sugar Cookie Tea - It's Not Just for Christmas

While I can't take full credit for this oatmeal recipe, I have made enough changes that I feel I can share it with you.  But I will certainly give credit where credit is due.  At Christmas time, Chocolate-Covered Katie posted this oatmeal recipe using Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea, which is a personal favorite of mine for using in smoothies (I haven't posted that one but it's the Banana Chamomile Smoothie but with this tea instead).  I wasn't a fan of her prep method so I never got around to making it.  Plus I've been on a big smoothie kick for months and haven't been eating much oatmeal at all.

Sugar Cookie Smoothie

A couple of weeks ago I was in my basement pantry and came across the 4 boxes of tea that I excitedly purchased at the health food store over the holidays.  And when I say "excitedly," that's an understatement.  I actually shrieked and jumped up and down, causing nearby customers to stop their conversations and stare.  Brian was mortified, to say the least.  

This is a reenactment.  Actual excitement was more intense.

What to do with all this tea?  Well, not make smoothies.  You see, my smoothie kick came to an abrupt halt when I got the stomach flu after having a green smoothie last week.  (I'm sure you can imagine!)  Then I remembered that Chocolate Covered-Katie has all kinds of oatmeal recipes, including the sugar cookie one.  I thought I'd use her idea of the tea with my traditional method, change up the ingredients a bit, and voila!  A new delicious (and easy!) oatmeal flavor was born!  If you don't have the Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea, you're out of luck to find it until the holidays but you could substitute another vanilla-flavored tea*. 

Cranberry Almond Cookie Oatmeal

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

1 cup vanilla almond milk (I use Almond Breeze - unsweetened)
2 Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea bags
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tbsp agave nectar
2 tbsp slivered almonds
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Heat almond milk and steep tea bags for 10-15 minutes.  (I do this at night before bed and then stick it in the fridge until morning.)  Gently squeeze tea bags to get out as much of the tea flavor as possible.

2. Combine milk and oats in a bowl.  Microwave at high-power for 2 minutes.  Stir and microwave for another 30 seconds.

3. Remove the bowl from the microwave, cover with a plate, and let sit for 3 minutes.  After 3 minutes, stir in the agave, almonds, and cranberries.  Enjoy!

Suggestion: I've been wanting to try this with shredded coconut instead of or in addition to the almonds but haven't done so yet. 

*Try Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Vanilla or Madagascar Vanilla Red Rooibos.

How do you get creative with your oatmeal?