Remember that post I did a few days ago, where I talked about Apple Baked Oatmeal Cups? I decided to get experimental. My recipe will be at the bottom of this post.
We had a few bananas getting super ripe, and I’ve read they’re excellent for baking because they’re sweeter. So I thought why not make banana bread oatmeal cups? Let me say that I had NO idea how it was going to turn out.
I kept the first two steps the same (as BWB’s recipe). So mix your dry ingredients and your wet ingredients (except bananas) separately, then combine. I added a little extra cinnamon and about 1/2 tbsp regular sugar, to simulate my mom’s banana bread.
Then I mashed up 3 very ripe bananas, and folded them into the mixture.
With the bananas, it looked a little bit lighter than the first picture of the batter. I then started scooping the mixture into a greased muffin tin.
I only have one 12-cup pan, so I decided to put all the batter in the cups. With cupcakes or muffins you will usually see a significant rise, however this is oatmeal so it won’t blow up as much. I also sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top (a mixture of about half and half), because who doesn’t love cinnamon sugar?
I almost threw it into the oven at that point, but I thought “Since I’m being experimental, why not throw some blueberries on top?” I would also like to mention that I was hesitant, because I had no idea how they would turn out… So I only put them on the tips of half.
I baked them for about 45 minutes. When taking them out of the oven, I let them sit in the pan a little longer so if wouldn’t be so gooey, and it would be enough to take out of the pan. The wholeee kitchen smelled like banana bread.
You can see in the pan that the mixture rose, but did not puff over the edges as a cupcake or muffin would.
I would like to note that I wish I had nuts to go in them, because that would be amazing…
Okay after some time, to get them out of the pan, I needed to slide a knife around all the edges. This should be relatively easy as long as they are cooked through and you sprayed the pan.
Now my verdict: these are tasty. I tried one with blueberries on the top, because I was most unsure about it. They weren’t as sweet as I would like them, but I don’t really need the extra sugar. Maybe next time I will add a little cinnamon and sugar while mashing the bananas.
BANANA BREAD OATMEAL CUPS adapted from Baking with Basil
Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk (skim, soy, rice, almond, etc)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg, beaten
3 extra ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 – 1/2 cup blueberries or nuts
Cinnamon Sugar mix (about half and half) –this is for the topping and a little extra in batter if desired.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cupcake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. If desired, add some extra cinnamon and (white) sugar; this gives the mix a banana bread taste. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, applesauce, and egg. Add wet ingredients to the oat mixture and stir until combined.
4. Gently fold in mashed banana. To make this sweeter, you may add some cinnamon sugar mix before folding into batter.
5. Fill each cupcake well (they will not rise like cupcakes, so it is okay to fill it close to the top). Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mix across cupcake wells, this will give a more “finished” look. If desired, add blueberries or chopped nuts on top.
6. Bake for about 40 minutes or until tops are browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. *If you shake the pan, it should not jiggle.
7. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes (your oatmeal will still cook to a solid, if you try to take them out as soon as they are out of the oven, they might fall apart) and then transfer to a cooling rack.
These are best served warm (microwave for 15-30 seconds). I love mine with a little butter melted on top.
I am not too sure of the shelf life, but with any recipe I make with fresh fruit, I usually toss a little bit of lemon juice in it to keep from souring. In this case, mix it with the mashed bananas. Store in a sealed container or cover with plastic wrap.
Eat happy (:
Wow, your creation looks amazing! =)