Topped with a fudgy chocolate swirl, these healthy banana oat breakfast bars pack the fluffier texture of a muffin into a DELICIOUS gluten-free and vegan bar that makes a perfect breakfast or snack.
I keep meaning to post more summery recipes, but I feel like I keep falling short. Sort of.
I mean, I’ve done:
… which sounds right on point, but none of those have been salads, or frozen treats, or grilled things, which is basically what I picture when I think of your typical summery foods.
But I can’t help it. I love summer for the crazy amount of fresh fruit [that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg], but it doesn’t make me crave my healthy baked treats any less.
And that’s exactly what these chocolate swirl banana oat breakfast bars are…
Well, that and they’re sweet, sweet redemption.
You know the massive amount of fails I admitted to yesterday? Omg you guys… it was bad. Like, “8 pans of fail” bad. And then these went ahead and came out perfectly on the first try.
Whatever. I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or any horse, really. I have no business in there. But I digress.
These chocolate swirl banana oat breakfast bars, though. They really are perfect.
Texture-wise, they’re basically muffins in bar form. They’re light and fluffy with a tender crumb, but still have a touch of that wonderful granola bar-esque chewiness thanks to the rolled oats and oat bran.
They also happen to be vegan, oil-free, AND easily made gluten-free if you need them to be – all you have to do is use a gluten-free flour and you’re good to go (the batch pictured here was made with a GF baking blend).
But let’s talk about the chocolatey topping, because that’s what takes these from a simple banana oat breakfast bar to something magical.
So the topping is made from a simple blend of banana, nut butter, cocoa, and maple syrup. I wanted to experiment with something other than melted chocolate, both to see how it’d turn out and to give these bars a slightly healthier edge that would make them even more perfect for breakfast.
Happy eating!
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Chocolate Swirl Banana Oat Breakfast Bars
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 9– 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
For the base:
- 1 cup (80 g) old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (56 g) oat bran
- 1/2 cup (60 g) flour of choice*
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 1 medium-size ripe banana, mashed (100 g or 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup**
- 2 Tbsp (25 g) coconut palm sugar***
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate fudge topping:
- 1/2 medium-size ripe banana, mashed (50 g or 1/4 cup)
- 1 Tbsp (16 g) nut butter****
- 2 Tbsp (10 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup**
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and prepare an 8×8 (20x20cm) baking dish by lining it with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Lightly spray with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, oat bran, flour, and baking powder. Add the almond milk, mashed banana, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and vanilla, mixing until well combined.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan, using a spatula to ensure that it is evenly distributed.
- Make the topping by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl, mixing until smooth. Drop the topping in small dollops across the entire surface of the bars, and use a knife or chopstick to swirl them around a bit.
- Bake the bars for 20 minutes until the top has set and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before removing and cutting into bars.
Notes
* You can really use any flour you want here, depending on your dietary needs. I’ve made these with all-purpose, GF all-purpose, and almond flours, and each one was delicious. The only thing I would advise against is coconut flour. ** You can also use agave nectar, or honey if you don’t need these to be vegan. *** You can also use regular brown or granulated sugar. OR omit completely if you don’t like your bars too sweet and want them to be refined-sugar-free. **** I used a natural almond butter, but feel free to use whichever nut or seed butter is your favourite.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Looking for more healthy breakfast bar recipes? Try one of these!
Double Blueberry Muffin Bars
Almond Butter & Jelly Banana Bread Bars
Strawberry Banana Oat Bars
Blueberry Almond Oat Bars
Soft Baked Brownie Breakfast Bars
I love how you made the chocolate fudge topping.
Also it’s magical when an experiment goes right. On the first try! Boom.
Um….yes. Yum! I’m okay that you don’t put up any recipes for grilled things–don’t have a grill 😉 although I’d like to learn.
Confession: I don’t have one either 😆
These are game-changers, I love it!! That swirrrrrl though, I’m getting hypnotized. 😉 My favorite summery foods are strawberries, watermelon, and avocados! ALL the avos.
Mmmmmm… COuld oat flour be subbed for the oat bran? Or are they two different things? Thanks!
They’re slightly different. But You could sub the oat bran for an extra 1/2 cup of regular oats and it would be fine!
Oh my gosh, that fudge swirl is going to have me jumping out of bed in the morning! I’m so glad that you mentioned your mess-ups. When all you see is the perfectly polished finished recipe, it can be really easy to overlook all the hard work that went into making it.
xxMeah
Before I started actually doing it, I had -no- idea how much work actually went into recipe testing… Or how creative you had to get to get rid of all the food 😆
Oh Amanda – these bars are phenomenal! And no gluten or butter! Wow – and look at that tempting choco-banana topping! Simply amazing !
Like you, I too have been all about the berries – I’ve posted a couple of berry dishes but most of the time I find myself noshing on them straight up! Just this past weekend I was at Costco and ended up with weird red stains on my t-shirt – only to remember that I had tried to wipe off the gunk off some strawberries I picked up there as apparently I couldn’t wait 5 minutes to get home to wash them! Shame on me – eh?! 🙂
Haha! I’m heading out to Costco tonight and I have a feeling I’ll experience something similar <3
That fudge syrup is DELICIOUS looking Amanda, and wow, you are a persistent baker! You definitely inspire me not to be discouraged by fails.
Definitely never give up! Even if you don’t end up “succeeding” in the traditional sense, the experience alone is worth it 🙂
8 pans of fails? Aw, I feel for ya girl. That’s rough. Good thing you have so many successes to help you sail through shitty days like that. 🙂
Like these bars…all of your banana oat bars look out of this world but I think these might take the cake. That chocolate swirl is to-die-for! Would you hate me if I swirled a little peanut butter in there too? Hehe. 😉
Because it’s you? Never.
Wow these look amazing! I think my favorite summery foods are watermelon, avocados/guac, and all the berries!
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try them 😀 how long do you think they would stay fresh for? I’m thinking they might be a good snack for a camping trip. Thank you!
I’d say they should be fine for a week at room temperature, possibly 1.5 weeks depending on how warm and humid it gets.
I want to make these but don’t have any oat bran on hand, is there a substitute?
You could just use an extra 1/2 cup of oats, Melissa.
Oh my. Worth getting out of bed for delicious.
Omg, this will be made this week! Thanks for the recipe 🙂 🙂
I must tell you that you have quickly become my favorite blogger (and I follow MANY wonderful ladies out there). I find myself feeling like your writing and recipes speak directly to me! Like we’re freinds? Ha, not in a creepy way; just that somehow you post exactly what I need to see, when I need to see it. Across the board; food, health, life, etc. So THANK YOU for all you do to keep filling my days with all these delights.
Thanks so much for the super sweet comment, Katie! Definitely brought a smile to my face 😀
Oh yes please!! That swirl art <3 these are everything I love and more in one bar.
This summer I've been extra loving berries and obviously eating alllllll the cherries!!
Mhmm there are enough summer recipes to go around lately on the blogosphere! I think there’s plenty of room for some baked goodness and even better when they are that perfect balance of healthy + delicious. Yummmmm
These do look really good. I’m definitely in the camp of being interested in your recipes with grilled vegetables. I recently had grilled vegetables with balsamic which might be my new staple.
That fudge topping looks amazing alone. I’m pretty sure I could just eat that!
You and me both! 😉 I actually had to make more because I ate so much of it straight from the bowl.
Mmm this looks so good, especially with the chocolate on top. My favorite summer food is definitely tomatoes. Fresh local tomatoes taste SO different than the ones you get at the store.
So true. The ones from the store taste like mushy nothingness. I steal them from my parents when they grow them 😆
I actually want to make that topping for ice cream! Favorite food in summer, next to fresh berries, peaches and watermelon of course.
Oh I soooooo need these in my life. My favorite summer foods would have to be all the produce. Berries, watermelon, figs, peaches, ect. I could eat nothing but that all day long!
Love those topping ingredients! I feel like I use maple syrup in everything 🙂 You definitely deserved and “awesome on the first try” recipe after Friday!
Maple syrup might just be my favourite liquid sweetener. Possibly because of my Canadian-ness 😀