Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

I usually keep a bunch of bananas on my counter, some not quite ripe, some ready to eat and the rest ready to use in smoothies or baked goods.  When I bake with bananas I like to make sure they are nice and almost black,  so I let them sit out a good long time.  I always say the blacker the better.

Lately we haven't been eating bananas as quickly as we usually do so my black ones were piling up.  I didn't really feel in the mood to make bread or muffins and was trying to keep the sweets at bay, so I was kind of at a loss as to what to make.  Then I thought about breakfast for the week and realized some mashed banana would go great mixed into our regular baked oatmeal.

I like to make breakfast fresh for my girls before school so I had to get up a little early the morning I made this, but it was so worth it!!  The smell that filled the house was amazing.  It really did smell like banana bread baking.  The end result was so delicious, nice and moist and a little crunchy on top.  I even thought about sprinkling a little coarse sugar on top for brulee but was short on time, so I'll have to save it for next time.

This oatmeal is easily doubled to fit a 9x13 pan.  I sometimes like to make a big pan and eat on it for the next few days.

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large)
1/2 milk
1 egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
scant 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or butter)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray an 8 or 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine banana, milk, egg, brown sugar, vanilla and coconut oil.  Whisk until well combined.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients and pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake 28-30 minutes or until slightly golden on top.

Serve warm.  Top with a splash of milk, extra pecans and sliced banana, if desired.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.