Enjoy the taste of brownies for breakfast with these healthy brownie breakfast bars! Naturally sweet and loaded with chocolate flavour, they’re a delicious way to start your day or to pull out whenever you need a satisfying snack {vegan, gluten-free}.
So here’s the thing.
These bars? They kind of rocked my fuzzy socks off.
I mean, I went into this recipe not really knowing to expect, and the outcome was so good that it totally blew my non-existent expectations out of the water.
Not horn tooting. Just objectively observing 😜
In all seriousness, though, I love these bars so much that I ate half the pan in one sitting can’t remember what cutesy story I was going to tell you to start off this post, so what’s say we skip the small talk and get right into the good stuff…
Soft baked brownie breakfast bars.
Aka my newest obsession and what I’d probably sell my firstborn for if it meant I could have a lifetime supply of. Yeah. It’s that bad. Or that good. I haven’t quite decided which yet.
Either way, these bars are like eating brownies for breakfast. Only healthier. And heartier. Only not overly hearty or healthy tasting… know what I mean? Like, they’re still sweet-[but-not-too-sweet], fudgy, and super chocolatey, but they also have this oomph to them that makes them feel like a satisfying and wholesome meal.
It’s dessert for breakfast at it’s finest.
So let’s talk deets.
These bars are based off my single-serve brownie batter breakfast bake, only modified to make more [portable] servings with a slightly different texture. They’re still suuuuuuuuuper fudgy and chocolatey, only this time a little more crumbly and… bar-y?
Actually, how crumbly they are depends entirely on what kind of flour you use. If you use a wheat-based flour*, the gluten in the flour will help keep them together more, whereas if you use a gluten-free flour* mix or something like an almond flour*, you’ll end up with slightly more crumbs. I mean, you could add about 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum* to help hold things together if you have it, but I honestly prefer the non-xanthan GF version – they’re just a little more messy.
They’re also incredibly fudgy, which you wouldn’t really expect seeing as they have oats in them, but there it is. And if you want them to be extra, extra fudgy, bake them for slightly less. Other than that, I guess all that’s left to say is…
Happy eating!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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Soft Baked Brownie Breakfast Bars
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 9 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup (120 g) quick oats
- 1/2 cup (60 g) flour of choice,* GF if needed
- 1/4 cup (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 6 Tbsp (90 ml) maple syrup**
- 1/4 cup (64 g) almond butter***
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- (optional) chocolate chips, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (162°C) and prepare an 8×8 (20x20cm) baking pan by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add the almond milk, maple syrup, almond butter, and vanilla, mixing until well combined.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan, using a spatula to spread it out evenly, and sprinkle with chocolate chips, if using.
- Bake the bars for 15-20 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. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
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 use whichever nut butter you have on hand, or use a seed or soy nut butter and replace the almond milk with another non-dairy milk to make these nut-free.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
Looking for more healthy bar recipes? Try one of these!
Strawberry Banana Oat Bars
Double Blueberry Muffin Bars
Banana Bread Granola Bars
Almond Butter & Jelly Banana Bread Bars
Soft & Chewy Protein Granola Bars
*Disclosure: Some of the links included in this post may be affiliate links, meaning I’ll earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you so much for helping support Spoons!
I halved the syrup, used peanut butter and a mix of all purpose and almond flour. The mixture was really thick so I added another 1/2 cup of milk and let it soak for 5 minutes. That fixed things up and made the bars soft, chewy and perfect for me. The only negative is it’s rather crumbly and really only fills up the half an 8x8inch pan, like all the granola bar recipes found on this site.
I’m not quite sure what happened, but my bars were very chewy – not exactly dry, but definitely not as soft as the breakfast bars look in the picture. The taste was still nice, though! I used natural peanut butter, all-purpose flour, and just a hair shy of 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla cashew milk. I made no other substitutions. I baked mine in a Wilton pan for 17 minutes, and didn’t let them cool in the pan very long because they were already so firm. If I make these again, I might add a bit more liquid and check on the brownies even before 15 minutes.
Just made these this afternoon and added a TBS of instant espresso powder. You called them breakfast bars, I figured why not have the coffee and bar all in one? You can’t really taste the coffee, just made the chocolate seem a lot richer (and they turned out darker in color than yours). Amazing! Going to be perfect for breakfast or afternoon snacks!
I’m so glad you liked them, Mary! And I love the idea of adding espresso powder – the combination definitely makes the chocolate flavour so much richer 😀
I just made these bars, living in high altitude Colorado they didn’t rise much. I added some flaky coconut and walnuts. Has a nice flavor but my batch doesn’t look like the picture.
The only thing better than brownies is brownies for breakfast lol! Which let’s be real, I’ve done before but I love the idea of a healthier brownie for breakfast.
This morning for breakfast I had my mango coconut overnight oats!
OMG lady! You’ve done it again. These brownie bars look sooo darn good. And the photos are gorgeous!
I think these are going on my baking list! They look so good and anytime I can have dessert for breakfast is a good day!
Well, if they’re really that life-changing…I guess I can sacrifice myself and give them a try. 😉
I love how thorough you are with your recipes…great ideas for using different flours. Looks scrumptious as usual!
Hehe… I’m kind of with Meghan; I read your blog and then I want to go bake everything. And I’m always a sweet breakfast girl; almost always at least. I have your Soft and Chewy Flourless Oatmeal Cookies on the plan to make soon!
You are a culinary genius Amanda! This morning I had oats with chocolate About Time Protein and a little peanut butter, and a big bowl of strawberries. I am a firm believer of starting the day off on a sweet note- and with coffee of course 😉
I need to stop reading your blog during Ave’s afternoon nap because it makes me crave chocolate and dessert like crazy. I still want the trail mix bites and now I need a batch of these too.
Yum- these sound and look so decadent!
good thing you don’t have a first born yet. LOL! But yes to new obsessions. Soft baked. I must try as always
Wow I could definitely go for brownies at breakfast! These look to die for! I love soft baked anything!
Def going to try these, they sound yummy! Thanks also for including the nutritional information!
Girl your recipes have been ON POINT lately with my cravings. Dying over here! I mean really, is there anything better than starting the day with chocolate? I think not!
Making these tonight.They look absolutely perfect.
Brownie and breakfast sounds so good together! I’d love to try with almond flour after the Whole30 🙂
i would like these as a snack for sure! I had oatmeal for breakfast, as usual. I used to love cocoa pebbles in the morning but over the years, I lost my taste for chocolate in the morning. weird, I know!
Will definitely be trying these. 🙂
um 100% making these they look AMAZING
These look good. They would be a great snack in my rotation. I had a waffle this morning for breakfast which I typically have every morning so no excitement here LOL.