These Oatmeal breakfast bars aren’t just a healthy breakfast recipe; they make great afternoon snacks, too. Filling, kid-friendly, and packed with a few of my life-long ingredient loves (peanut butter, banana, and honey, I heart you), these easy homemade baked oatmeal bars are yummy, hearty, and guaranteed to keep you powered for hours.
NOTES:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk — I used unsweetened vanilla almond, but any kind will do nicely
- 3 tablespoons honey*
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter — creamy or crunchy—I used natural creamy
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 medium banana — quartered and diced
Instructions:
- Place rack in the center reheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat an 8x8 inch square pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, combine the milk, applesauce, egg, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir to combine. The batter will be very wet. Fold in the diced banana, then pour into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until thickened and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool, cut into bars, and serve.
NOTES:
- *As the recipe is written, these bars are very lightly sweet. If you prefer a sweeter bar, increase the honey to 4-5 tablespoons.
- Storage: Once cooled, bars can be wrapped individually in plastic and kept in the refrigerator for 5 days or frozen in a zip-top bag for up to 4 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours before serving. For a larger yield, increase the ingredient quantities by 1.5 and bake in a 9x13 inch pan for 25-30 minutes.
