Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Baked Oatmeal with Toasted Coconut

I know right??? How good does that sound? This is a great weekend morning meal that will please everyone and makes a great snack too. If you like a chewy texture you can make it in the morning but if  you want it more cake-y let the unbaked casserole sit overnight and then bake. However you decide to do it is good. You can modify this recipe a lot too! Add pumpkin puree instead of banana and leave out the coconut and chips and you have pumpkin pie oatmeal. Add apples, apple sauce and dried cranberries or raspberries, white chips and almond butter for some oh la la or chopped dates, cashews, coconut and diced peaches...You get the picture. So here it is.

You will need

2 cups old fashioned Oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips( optional)
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1/2 cup brown sugar or 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar (add the liquid sugars to the wet ingredients though)
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp melted coconut oil or butter or nut butter
1/2 chopped nuts of choice
1 cup berries or 1/2 cup dried fruit (divided) I used unsweetened coconut flakes
1 banana sliced if using


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix oats, chips if using, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. If using berries add 1/2 cup and if using dried fruit add a 1/4 cup of it now to the oat mixture.

Dump the dry ingredients into a well greased 10"x7" baking dish or any 2 quart rectangular baking dish. sprinkle the sliced banana, 1/4 cup of dried coconut or fruit of choice  and nuts over the top of the dried ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the milk, eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and liquid honey or agave if using.

Slowly pour the egg mixture over top of the dried mixture. Sprinkle with nuts and remaining coconut or other fruit.  At this point you can cover it and put it in the fridge to sit overnight. Or you can gently shake the pan to settle the milk mixture and put it into the oven uncovered for 40 minutes.

Going into the oven