Banana Oat Bars

These bars are delish, and great for guilt-free snacking. The way I made them, they are both vegan and gluten-free, but you can skip the gluten-free part if you're not concerned about wheat.

The batter is a cookie dough consistency. Make sure to press it into the pan.

I made them for my toddler so they're not super sugary. They are lightly sweet. If you want a more decadent taste, add more maple syrup. I suspect you could substitute brown sugar, as well, but haven't tried this version.

You can see I put chocolate chips and chopped walnuts on the "adult" side of the bars. I left the toddler version plain.

The Recipe

makes about 20 medium-sized bars

2 ripe bananas
1 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds + 4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup maple syrup (or more to taste depending on ripeness of bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil)
1 1/3 cups oats
1 1/3 cups oat flour (or sub white or whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
pinch salt
5 ounces dark chocolate chips (optional)
chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with wax paper and oil lightly.

Mash bananas in a large bowl. Add chia seeds and water, maple syrup, vanilla and oil. Mix well.

Stir in the oats, oat flour, baking soda and salt. The batter should clump together like cookie dough. Press the dough into the pan. Top with adult toppings, if desired.

Bake for about 30 minutes until light brown on top. Let cool before cutting. I recommend storing these in the refrigerator.