Chunky Monkey Banana Baked Oatmeal

Finally tried a baked oatmeal recipe and this one did not disappoint! It’s really quick and easy to mix the ingredients together and throw in a casserole dish to bake. We enjoyed this more as a snack, but if you throw in some protein powder I'd say this is a great meal prep recipe for breakfast. I made this 12 servings (as opposed to the recipe suggestion of 6 servings) which came out to 25g Carbs, 12g Fat, and 5g Protein, hence the suggestion to add some more protein with this if you're enjoying it as a meal. Anyways, the original recipe calls for using a 9x9 inch casserole dish, but I used a 9x13 inch and baked for 35 minutes and that worked out just fine. Banana sizes can vary so I like that the recipe indicates about 1 1/3 cups mashed. I used about 300g if that measurement is helpful to anyone. I always reduce chocolate amount, so I opted for just spreading the 1/3 cup between the mix-in and topping, and same goes for the shredded coconut. This was certainly a delicious treat in our home for a few days and I will definitely be experimenting with adding some protein powder next time around! Let me know if you give this one a try and if you make any personal adjustments.

Chunky Monkey Banana Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients:
For the wet ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 ⅓ cups mashed ripe banana)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk (about 1 ⅔ cup coconut milk)
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

For the dry ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups gluten free rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Mix-ins:

• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, plus 2 extra tablespoons for topping
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips), plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9 inch pan with oil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, eggs, vanilla, coconut milk and maple syrup until well combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients: oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix until combined, then fold in shredded coconut, walnuts and chocolate chips.
4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle with reserved shredded coconut and chocolate chips. Bake for 35-45 mins or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes, then cut into 6 slices and serve. Top with extra banana slices, a drizzle of maple syrup and chopped walnuts. Serves 6.

Notes:

• To store: be sure the banana baked oatmeal has completely cooled, and then cover your 9×9 inch pan with tinfoil before transferring it to the refrigerator. It will stay good covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, and you can reheat individual slices in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. You can also store individual slices in airtight containers for quick, on-the-go breakfasts.
• To freeze: once the baked oatmeal has completely cooled, cut it into 6 squares and wrap each square in plastic wrap and tinfoil. When you’re ready to eat it, place the unwrapped frozen square of baked oatmeal on a microwave safe dish and microwave it at 30 second intervals for 1-2 minutes. If you’d like to freeze the entire banana baked oatmeal for later, simply reheat it in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F while it’s covered with tinfoil.

Original recipe found here