Cinnamon Oatmeal Banana Bread

Good morning, friends, and happy Friday!

I made this cinnamon oatmeal banana bread last night and wanted to share it here because it’s the perfect warm and yummy treat for the weekend. I don’t know what I was expecting while making it, but this bread is the definition of comforting. It’s like a giant hug or an oversized sweater in your mouth, which is especially welcome right now because as I look out the window while writing this, it’s a frigid 24 degrees.

We had some old bananas that I was holding onto for weeks (that PJ smartly told me to freeze until I was ready to actually make something with them) to make some sort of cinnamon banana bread, but at the last minute I decided I wanted to add oatmeal into the mix, too. Cinnamon oatmeal banana bread? Is that even a thing? A quick Google search revealed that it in fact was a thing, and it was a thing that looked absolutely delicious. So I started baking.

I ended up going with this recipe from My Gourmet Connection. Fair warning: PJ asked if I cut the sugar any, which I didn’t, so if you like your breads a little sweet, you may want to add a bit more sugar than what the recipe calls for. I thought it tasted great as is (the kids did, too!), but I think we could all use a little more sweetness in our lives, don’t you?

Full recipe and directions below, directly from My Gourmet Connection:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quick cooking oats

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1/2 cup milk

• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 1/3 cup quick cooking oats

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

2. Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Combine the oats with the milk and set aside for 10 minutes to soften. Add the bananas, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the softened oats. Mix well.

4. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add in the banana mixture and combine until dry ingredients are moistened.

5. Spread the bread batter in the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top and pat down gently into the surface of the bread. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the edges pull away from the pan slightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire cooling rack.

Hope you have the coziest weekend ever, and happy baking!