Baked oat fingers
Soft baked fingers of blended oats and ripe banana, with no sugar or salt. Easy to hold, and they freeze well. They're firmer than porridge, so check that they squash flat before serving. If oats are new, offer them on their own first.
- From
- 6 months
- Time
- 35 min
- Makes
- About 12 fingers
No top allergens
Ingredients
- 1 cup (about 100 g)plain rolled or quick oatsno added sugar or salt
- 2ripe bananasyellow with brown speckles
- 4–6 tbspbreast milk, formula or waterenough to make a soft, thick mixture
- 1 tspvegetable oilfor the tin
Steps
- 1Wash your hands. Rinse the bananas under running water, even though you'll peel them. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and oil a small baking tin, about 20 cm (8 in) square.
- 2Blend the oats until they look like fine flour, so there are no dry flakes left.
- 3Mash the bananas in a bowl until smooth, then stir in the blended oats and enough liquid to make a soft, thick mixture. Don't add sugar, honey, syrup or salt.
- 4Spread the mixture into the tin about 2 cm (¾ in) thick and smooth the top.
- 5Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until just set and only lightly golden at the edges. It should stay soft and moist, like a thick pancake, not dry or crisp: dry, crumbly oat bars are like the granola bars and cookies the CDC lists as choking hazards.
- 6Let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then cut it into fingers. Check that they're cool and soft before serving.
How to serve it by age
6 months+
Offer fingers about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in). Squash one between your thumb and finger first: it should flatten easily and feel moist, with no dry, crumbly or chewy bits. If a batch is firm, dry or crumbly, don't serve it as fingers: mash it with a little breast milk, formula or water until soft. For the next batch, add a little more liquid and bake for less time.
9 months+
Break fingers into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or keep serving fingers.
12 months+
Serve fingers as a snack or with breakfast, with a spoonful of plain yogurt for dipping once dairy is part of your child's diet.
Leftovers and the rest of the family
Storing it
Keep fingers in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen fingers in the fridge if you like, then reheat only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), and let them cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl. Don't leave fingers at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F (32°C).
For the grown-ups
Adults and children aged 4 and over (5 in the UK) can eat these too. For them, stir chopped nuts or finely chopped dried fruit into a separate tray. Keep nut pieces and dried fruit out of your baby's and toddler's portion.
Foods in this recipe
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