Healthy Breakfast Bars
Author:Sweet, soft and hearty Healthy Breakfast Bars made with wholesome ingredients plus a spattering of chocolate chips ... Because CHOCOLATE .... But you can easily just use more nuts or seeds instead if you prefer. Perfect for grab and go breakfasts or for stuffing into lunch-boxes!
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 270 g / 2 medium very ripe bananas , (they should measure about 8 inches each).
- ¾ cup / 192 g natural peanut butter , or any other nut or seed butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup / 60 mls maple syrup
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups / 200 g rolled oats , sometimes called old-fashioned oats. Use certified gluten-free oats for GF
- ½ cup / 63 g wholewheat flour , see notes for alternatives *
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup / 70 g chopped nuts , or seeds (see notes for suggestions) **
- ½ packed cup / 90 g finely chopped pitted dates , (about 12 to 13 dates)
For Topping (optional)
- ½ cup / 90 g vegan chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C) and line an 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Add the wet ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth. If you don't have a blender or food processor, mash the bananas really well with a fork, then beat in the peanut butter, vanilla and maple syrup until they are all smooth and well combined.
- To a large bowl add the oats, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir together to combine. Add the chopped dates and the nuts and stir them through. If the dates get a bit clumpy, break them apart with your fingers.
- Add the blended liquid mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir them together well, then spoon into the pan, pack it down and even out the top with a spatula.
- Sprinkle over the optional chocolate chips, press them just a little with your hands, then put into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool in the pan, then cut into bars.
NOTES
*Switch out the wholewheat flour for gluten-free flour, oat flour, all purpose flour or spelt flour
**Use any chopped nuts you like, or a mixture of your favourites. Walnuts, hazelnuts and pecans all work well.
How to make nut-free Breakfast Bars
To keep the bars nut-free, use pumpkins seeds or sunflower seeds instead of the nuts, or just omit the nuts.
Storage
Store bars in an airtight container either at room temperature if it's not too warm, or in the fridge. They should keep well for up to 7 days.
Nutritional information assumes the entire recipe is cut into 9 bars and includes the optional chocolate chips.
NUTRITION
Calories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 12gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 248mgPotassium: 502mgFiber: 7gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 3mg