Banana Cranberry Oatmeal Bread

This week’s weather has me off-kilter. One day it’s 60 degrees, the next day it’s 15 degrees. Even my spring bulbs are confused… The hyacinths are poking out of the ground, way before they are supposed to arrive. And I uncovered a clump of snowdrops while raking leaves.

Old Man Winter is showing his face today. Traffic is snarled with accidents all over the place.

Time to crank up the oven and make something decadent.

Today’s new recipe is for Banana Cranberry Oatmeal Bread. What a great way to add oats to your kids daily diet.  I’m indicating cranberries in the title, but I made three different loaves with three different dried fruits:  one cranberry, one date, and one raisin (because you can’t have something oatmeal without adding raisins).

Banana Cranberry Oatmeal Bread 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare a 4×8 loaf pan spraying it with Pam or some other cooking spray

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour

• ¾ cup oats

• 1/3 cup dried cranberries, copped dates, raisins, or dried blueberries

•  

  2/3 cups Splenda (Granulated, the cup for cup sugar substitute for baking)

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

•  

  ¼ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

•  

  ½ tsp cinnamon (or chai spice)

• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 very ripe bananas)

•  

  1/3 cup skim milk

• ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil

•  

  2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 eggs, beaten

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix the bananas and wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix by hand until incorporated. Pour the entire mixture into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan.  Enjoy warm or at room temperature.  

This recipe was adapted from the Banana Oatmeal Bread recipe found on The Silver Spool.

Time to go eat a slice….