Lightly sweet with a nutty toasted oat and brown sugar topping and banana slices layered in the center, these Banana Oat Bars are perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or snack.
Despite the fact that I’ve been making a conscious effort this past week (albeit, not a fully successful one) to get to bed earlier and to fall asleep to background noise from a podcast rather than the TV, it’s been difficult to get up in the morning to properly make breakfast. I’m talking protein shake and banana kind of mornings where I consume everything with haste so that I can go back to bed for another 10-15 minutes before I actually need to get ready and just grab a banana for lunch on the way out the door.
Enter these Banana Oat Bars–a lightly sweet, somewhat nutty despite not having any actual nuts in them (I usually make mine with graham cracker crumbs rather than almond flour, but either will work), easy to grab bar that can be eaten if you’re like me and completely devoid of energy in the morning (or the afternoon, or at night).
Luckily, these bars are easy to make and they’re full of rolled oats and banana goodness, all warmed with a bit of cinnamon. Mashed banana goes into the batter and a layer of banana lines the center of these bars, keeping them nice and moist. All in all, I’d say you can have these baked, cooled, and ready to slice within an hour. That’s not too shabby. Not to mention, I only used two bowls–one to mix the dry ingredients, and one for the wet. Talk about an easy clean up.
Add in the fact that you don’t even need to bother with whisking together the butter and the sugar before adding any of the other ingredients–just toss the wet ingredients into a bowl with the brown sugar and whisk away. Fold in the whisked dry ingredients half at a time, and you’re ready to get this batter in the pan and ready to bake. Toast the oats for the top while you’re mixing everything together and you won’t even need to wait for those.
Dense and chewy while still being cake-like, these bars are pretty satisfying (and that’s coming from someone who is pretty much always hungry).
And as long as you have some slightly ripe bananas and some oats on hand, you can pretty much make these whenever you feel the need for something just a little bit sweet.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 18-22 minutes |
| Servings |
bars
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- 1/2 cup rolled oats toasted (instructions in notes below).
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
Ingredients
Toasted Oat and Brown Sugar Topping
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- Make sure a rack is placed in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Grease and line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper so that some of the paper hangs over the edges. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, egg yolk, oat milk, light brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined.
- Add 1/2 the dry ingredients to the wet. Using a rubber spatula, fold until all the dry ingredients are fully moistened. Add the other 1/2 of the dry ingredients and fold until the batter comes together.
- Drop half of the batter into the prepared pan. Using the rubber spatula, spread the batter evenly across the bottom of the pan and into the corners. Line with a layer of sliced bananas. Pour the rest of the batter into the pan and spread evenly over the top of the bananas.
- Toss together the toasted oats* and the 2 Tbsp of light brown sugar. Sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake on the center rack for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. It should feel firm around the edges with a slightly softer center. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely in the pan.
* To toast the oats: line a baking sheet with foil and spread the oats evenly onto the baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven and for about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to help them toast evenly. The oats should turn tan in color and will give off a nutty aroma when they're properly toasted.