Treat yourself to a tropical adventure at breakfast with these to-dye-for Banana Coconut Baked Oatmeal Squares.
As the morning sun rises, a new day is upon us.
We slowly stumble from our comfy beds and try to get started to begin our journey for a busy day.
The hustle and bustle of makes most of us cringe. Why can’t we just stay in dreamland for just a moment more?
The aroma of coffee fills the kitchen with delight. Cabinets are open and closed, refrigerators searched and the pantry is thoroughly explored as we try to locate that one special item to satisfy our morning craving.
Then it hits you — you go back to dreaming of a tropical paradise.
No cares in the world. Relaxed and peaceful. Your mind at ease.
Warm sun, sandy beaches, beautiful sunsets, island cocktails.
You grab some bananas, coconut, pecans and oats and you are on your way to a create a breakfast oasis.
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened coconut
Instructions
Heat your oven 350 degrees. Prepare an 8×8-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Into a large bowl, add the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir until incorporated. In a medium bowl add the milk, banana, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until blended, then slowly add the butter and continue whisking until fully incorporated..
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the pecans and coconut then add to the prepared dish. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until golden brown on top. Cool slightly then cut into squares and serve with sliced bananas and sprinkle with pecans.
Now bite into these warm and wonderful Banana Coconut Baked Oatmeal Squares and you’ll start your day relaxed and calm.
Go bananas for breakfast! Get ready to make your morning a little sweeter by whipping up a batch of these soft and satisfying Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins.
Are your mornings crazy like mine?
It seems no matter what time I wake up, I always seem to be rushing around just about the time I need to leave. And that I don’t like. I like to wake up early enough so that I don’t have to do the rush thing, but for some reason it is inevitable. At the last moments before I jet out the door, I seem to be frantically packing my kid’s lunch, making sure my hubby knows the schedule for the day, remembering to unplug my cell phone from the charger; and the list goes on!
And sometimes my stress raises and my morning time shortens when I am the one to take my son to school. With the 50,000 times I have to tell him to get up and the 50,000 more times I have to nudge him to get dressed. At this point I’ve gone bananas myself! I thought as they got older, it got easier. Not!
Anyway…I really am an organized person. And sometimes I do the morning prep the night before. But sometimes I am just too tired and then my mornings become crazy. The only good thing is being able to unwind during my drive to work, which takes about 30 minutes. OK, yes, this seems like a strange comment. But even though there are insane drivers on the roadways and highways, I really don’t let those people get to me, especially in the morning. I really like to have a clear head when I step into my office and am ready to take on the day! And it’s made that much better if I have a good breakfast to eat.
Well now we all can rest a bit easier and make sure that you and your family have a yummy to-go breakfast or wonderful mid-afternoon snack. These muffins are definitely the way to go. I love grabbing a few to take with me to work; they are a tasty and healthy alternative to the vending machine!!
You see, I always buy bananas with the intention of eating them in their natural state. But for some reason, at the end of the week I always end up with uneaten, ripe bananas. The other morning I woke up and thought, “What can I do with these bananas?” Ah, yes, I could make some classically delicious banana bread. Then after one millisecond, I changed my mind and Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins were born.
This was a no-brainer — as well as the bananas, I also had some left over mini chocolate chips and thought this would be the perfect combination; soft, creamy bananas surrounded by bittersweet chocolate morsels in a light and fluffy base with a hint of a nutty flavor from some oats. Just the thought of these sweet gems makes my taste buds tingle!
Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large ripe bananas
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Turn your oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Note, this recipe made 18 muffins and you can easily double the recipe.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until combined and set aside. Then in a small bowl mash bananas — I like to use a potato masher here. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment add the butter and sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until creamed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until well blended then mix in the vanilla. With your mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Remove bowl from stand and add the mashed bananas. Stir until just combined. Then fold in the oats and chocolate chips.
Evenly spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
I hope your mornings are a little less stressed and more sweet with the addition of these Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins.
I must admit, I’m not a huge banana fan, but when it comes to banana cake well that’s a whole another story! And if you mix in some kind of chocolate, well then now you’ve got me! These Banana Bites with White Chocolate Vanilla Chunks are, if I must say quite delicious. The dense yet light texture of the cake sprinkled with the subtle hint of white chocolate infused with Madagascan vanilla is so pleasing. It’s perfect to take along to a picnic or just as a yummy snacking treat! Banana Bites with White Chocolate Vanilla Chunks
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large ripe bananas
1 (3.5 oz) bar Lindt Excellence Touch of Vanilla White Chocolate, coarsely chopped
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and mixing well after each addition. Then add the vanilla. On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer. In a separate medium bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add the bananas to the mixture and stir until blended. Add the chopped white chocolate and gently incorporate.
Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake completely cool on a rack. Cut into small squares and put into pretty cupcake liners for a fun presentation.
These Banana Bites usually disappear quickly around my home. Again, they are great anytime of the day! So why not whip up a batch for your family and friends this weekend?
