Peanut Butter And Roasted Banana Baked Oatmeal Recipe

A warm, comforting bowl of oatmeal is often recommended by dietitians and nutritionists for its health benefits. This breakfast dish can keep you full and satiated for hours without adding much saturated fat or cholesterol, as oats are full of dietary fiber and packed with essential nutrients like manganese and phosphorus. However, many find that the dish's mushy texture leaves something to be desired. There are many wonderful oatmeal recipes out there that add flavorful toppings and mix-ins, but there's another trick for making this dish just a bit more appetizing. A trend has been going around for baked oatmeal, wherein the typical oatmeal ingredients are transformed into a gooey dish not unlike a cake.

In this recipe, some of the oats are blended to create a flour that forms the bulk of the batter. Added to that is a scrumptious combination of deeply caramelized, roasted banana and creamy peanut butter. If that wasn't enough, recipe developer Taylor Murray also added a few scoops of semisweet chocolate chips — you won't be able to help yourself from coming back for more.

With a few small additions, this ingredients for this recipe resemble those of a traditional bowl of oatmeal. The base is, of course, rolled oats. This particular version has smooth peanut butter and caramelized bananas, which are made from ripe bananas; the riper the banana, the sweeter the final dish. For a bit of extra sweetness, there's a hint of maple syrup and a decent amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

This dish has plenty of nutritious ingredients to offset the chocolate, namely chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and chopped toasted walnuts. Finally, a few ingredients help adapt the recipe for oven baking: eggs, baking powder, salt, and some melted unsalted butter.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Peel bananas and place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper.

Roast until golden brown and softened, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl.

Mash bananas with a whisk and set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 F.

In a blender, grind 1 cup of the oats to a coarse meal.

In a medium bowl, mix the blended and unblended oats, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl with the bananas, combine the peanut butter, melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.

Whisk in the eggs.

Fold in the oat mixture, being careful not to over-mix.

Fold in the chocolate chips, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds.

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with baking spray.

Add the oat mixture and bake until browned on the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30–45 minutes.

Let cool to just warm, then cut into squares and serve.

You can freeze baked oatmeal, which makes it a great option for meal prepping and planning quick, on-the-go breakfasts. After baking, allow your oatmeal to cool completely to room temperature to avoid condensation and the formation of ice crystals during the freezing process. Once cooled, slice the baked oatmeal into portions, wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap, and then place them into a freezer-safe bag or container. This method helps to preserve the texture and flavor by keeping out unwanted freezer odors.

To reheat the oatmeal, you can either thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then warm it up in the microwave or oven or heat it directly from frozen, adjusting the heating time accordingly. Freezing baked oatmeal can maintain its quality for up to three months. Alternatively, you can freeze the entire unbaked tray, wrapped tightly in plastic, and bake it from frozen when you're ready to eat. Add at least 15 minutes to the bake time to compensate for the change in temperature.

The perfect bowl of oatmeal can be a healthy and nutritious way to start the day. Adding a few ingredients to turn it into baked oatmeal doesn't make it any less nutritious. This particular recipe does include a few things that may cause some to pause, but there are a ways to make it even more healthy, if desired. First, you can omit the chocolate chips, reduce the amount, or replace them with sugar-free chips. The chocolate makes the dish gooey and decadent but is not necessary to achieve the right consistency.

Another place to make a healthful swap is with the butter. In this recipe, it mostly adds moisture and can be substituted with applesauce or more mashed banana. Finally, the maple syrup adds sweetness and moisture but could be switched out for lower-glycemic ingredients, such as monkfruit sweetener or agave, or replaced altogether with more roasted banana.