Banana Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

Rolled oats – Also called old-fashioned oats, these hearty oats are perfect for baking.

Can I use steel-cut oats? Steel-cut oats need a lot more liquid and time to cook than what’s called for in this recipe so, while it’s possible, not without adjustments and substitutions, if you want to use steel-cut oats, I recommend, for best results, researching a recipe that uses this ingredient.

Mashed bananas – The riper a banana, the sweeter the recipe, so make sure to choose bananas with lots of brown spots on the skin.

You can freeze leftover ripe bananas to use in smoothies or other baking recipes.

Ground cinnamon – This warm spice pairs perfectly with bananas and chocolate. You can also use a small amount of nutmeg or allspice to add another layer flavor to the oatmeal cups.

Baking powder – While these baked oatmeal muffins won’t rise like a traditional muffin recipe, the baking powder gives them a little bit of a lift.

Eggs – acts as a binder to keep the oatmeal cups together.

Pure maple syrup – adds the perfect amount of sweetness. 

Pure vanilla extract – for additional flavor.

Unsweetened coconut milk – Almond milk or any non-dairy milk will work in this recipe. Of course, regular milk will work too

Melted coconut oil – Coconut oil is my favorite oil to use in baked goods. However, if you don’t have it, then use vegetable oil or melted butter.

Chocolate chips – I’ve used all types of chocolate chips in this recipe. My favorite is regular semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can also use mini chocolate chips. Use peanut butter chips for a fancy twist.

Cooking Tips

• Measure out the mashed bananas. 1-cup of mashed bananas equals roughly 2-3 bananas. Bananas come in all sizes, so for an accurate measurement, mash the banana and then measure the amount before adding it to the recipe. Again, you can freeze leftover bananas.
• Bake in an 8 or 9-inch baking pan. Instead of baking individual baked oatmeal cups, add the batter to an 8 or 9-inch baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
• Use muffin liners. Before I add the batter to the muffin pan, I spray each cup with cooking spray. I never have an issue with the banana oatmeal cups sticking to the pan. If the oatmeal cups sticking are a concern, then use silicone or paper muffin liners.
• Leave out the chocolate chips. If you want to lower the fat and calories, reducing or leaving out the chocolate chips is a great way to do that.
• Mix the spices into the oats first to prevent any clumps. I know it’s tempting to mix everything in one bowl. I’ve tried that, and it didn’t work out. I ended up with clumps of cinnamon and salt because the spices turned into chunks from the wet ingredients. Mix the oats and spices before adding the wet ingredients.
• Substitute honey or other sugar substitutes. Honey is a good substitute for maple syrup. I haven’t used monk fruit, agave, or other sugar substitutes, so I don’t know if they’d work in this recipe. My guess is you’ll need to play around with the ratios.
• Press the oats into the milk. Before putting the baked oatmeal into the oven, cover the oats in milk. If not, then they will dry out. Use a spoon and press the oats into the muffin cups to distribute the milk.
• Use the knife trick to remove the baked oatmeal cups. After the banana baked oatmeal cups are done cooking and have cooled for a few minutes, glide a butter knife around the edges of the oatmeal cups and then lift them out.
• Melt the coconut in the microwave. I always throw in this tip because I don’t want to assume everyone knows how to melt coconut oil. It’s simple. Add the desired amount of coconut oil to a microwave-safe glass measuring cup and microwave for 35 – 60 seconds until melted. If you need more, add extra coconut oil; if you have too much, pour the excess back into the coconut oil container. Don’t worry; it will solidify.