Banana Oat Squares

I needed a quick and easy dessert to complement a meal that my friend and I had made for a couple. I seem to have an unlimited supply of frozen bananas on hand these days, and since I keep forgetting to buy spinach at the store to make green smoothies, I guess I just need to keep baking banana treats! These definitely were fast to put together and easy, and they didn’t need too much time to cool for me to cut them up. As much as I love the ease of baking brownies, I wanted something with a bit more substance.

I saw this recipe on foodgawker, which I have on my google reader. Foodgawker is the best, I could just stare at that site all day long. It amazes me that so many people can take such sharp and attractive photos. So, I didn’t even have to search for this treat- it just happened to be sitting in the Reader waiting to be discovered As the original blogger says, these are actually quite healthy for their level of deliciousness. The ingredient list is short and there is nothing out of the ordinary that you shouldn’t have sitting in your kitchen. It could also be customized for your taste buds, for example, with peanut butter or sliced almonds instead of walnuts. For an even healthier spin, maybe some dried fruit…? Also, I could see these being a perfect breakfast bite or after-school snack!

Banana Oat Squares, adapted from Notecook

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 to 1 cup mashed bananas
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat well. Add salt and mashed banana and mix until incorporated . Add oats and nuts. Stir. Spread in greased 8×8 inch pan. Bake for almost an hour until firm. Cool and cut into squares.