Banana bread may be one of my most favorite things in this world, but that doesn't mean I always want to make it. So when a craving strikes, I whip up the recipe below for Southern banana cobbler instead. While it takes almost as long as banana bread to cook in the oven, it takes just mere minutes to pull together. In fact, you can even use the baking dish you'll cook it in as the bowl to mix together all the ingredients.

And those ingredients are simple and few, too. You need only a handful of baking ingredients you likely already have in your pantry and some fresh bananas sliced and scattered on top. Try sprinkling a bit of coconut on top for a lovely tropical taste, especially when combined with banana -- but you can always leave that off if you don't care for it.

Easy Southern cobbler
Servings: 8
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup milk
3 bananas, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Directions
1. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Add all ingredients except the bananas and coconut into the baking dish, and whisk everything together.

Using a spoon, spread the mixture out into the baking dish so it's even throughout and has a smooth surface.

3. Add the bananas on top.

Sprinkle the coconut over everything.

4. Place in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until it's golden brown on top and cooked throughout.

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