Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Once again my kitchen basket was filled with ripe banana’s this weekend.  Which gave me the perfect excuse to get in my kitchen and bake something with them.  It was perfect timing too because a few weeks ago I ran across this recipe and knew I had to give these a try.  It sounded healthy and delicious and perfect for the little ones in the house.  Now that they are in school I also knew it would be a healthy snack to include in their lunch boxes.  The girls both love banana’s and chocolate, like their mommy, so I knew these were going to be a hit.  I just made some slight adjustments to the original recipe like adding cinnamon, pecans, and combining a mix of mini chocolate chips and regular.  The chocolate chips were a bit of an accident as I reached into my cabinet only to find a little bit of regular chocolate chips left and whole bag of mini’s staring back at me.  Chocolate is chocolate right no matter the size, at least that’s what I thought.  The mini’s still tasted delicious in these bars.  I liked them best when they are slight warm.  Another tip: it may be best to store them in the refrigerator if they aren’t eaten quickly, like within two days.   

Enjoy everyone and Happy Monday!

Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Print Recipe

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 to 1 cup mashed bananas

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat well. Add salt and mashed banana and mix until incorporated . Add oats, cinnamon, nuts, and 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips . Stir. Spread in greased 8×8 inch pan and top with remaining 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.  Best when served warm.

Adapted from Sweet and Savory Tooth