No Bake Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars

No Bake Oatmeal Bars are made with good-for-you elements: oats, flaxseeds, chia, coconut, peanut butter, and banana. It is one of many best recipes for a fast and wholesome breakfast, snack, or dessert. This candy deal with could not be simpler to make, and I really like that they’re no bake, so it is simple for the children to affix in.

Final week was crazier than regular for us, and I could not have been happier that we had these no-bake peanut butter oatmeal bars within the fridge. Having them at arm’s size prevented a couple of meltdown and saved everybody fueled and full.

Relating to these bars, I really like the mix of creamy peanut butter, banana, and chocolate. As a child, I cherished consuming peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and I nonetheless make peanut butter banana toast fairly repeatedly as an grownup. The one distinction is that now I normally add a wholesome dose of flaxseeds and chia seeds to make issues a little bit more healthy.

All the pieces begins with a scrumptious mixture of mashed bananas, peanut butter, maple syrup (the actual form!), and cinnamon. Then, rolled oats, flaxseed meal, shredded coconut, and chia seeds are added, making a wholesome snack filled with fiber, protein, wholesome fat, nutritional vitamins, and minerals. Since chocolate makes all the pieces style higher, I additionally added a few of that. Lastly, all the pieces goes to the fridge, the place the bars agency up and all of the flavors mix.

When you’re an enormous snacker like us, add these Healthy No Bake Oatmeal Cookies, No Bake Date Brownie Bites, and No Bake Granola Bars to your stash for the proper dessert!

Why You’ll Love These No Bake Banana Oat Bars

Listed below are some causes these no bake peanut butter oat bars are the proper snack:

• Fast and straightforward prep: The toughest a part of making these no bake banana oat bars is ready for them to set.
• Naturally candy: No want for brown sugar on this no bake recipe. The bananas and maple syrup make these bars satisfyingly candy.
• Wholesome for you: These bars use easy elements and superfoods like flaxseeds and chia seeds which are filled with protein, fiber, wholesome fat, nutritional vitamins, and minerals!

Talking of chia seeds, you should use it in so many desserts. Attempt my Yogurt Chia Seed Pudding, Low Carb Lemon Chia Seed Muffins, and Low Carb Yogurt Parfait with Strawberries subsequent time!

Substances and Simple Swaps

Here is all the pieces you might want to make these no bake peanut butter bars:

• Bananas: The browner, the sweeter! Mashed bananas additionally make the bars good and delicate.
• Peanut butter: Peanut butter lover or not, PB makes our bars deliciously nutty with a creamy mouthfeel. Use pure peanut butter, both chunky, sugar-free, diminished fats, and even different forms of nut butter like almond and cashew butter.
• Maple syrup: Apart from being candy, actual and pure maple syrup additionally provides notes of vanilla, caramel, and toffee to those banana oat bars. I normally purchase mine at Costco however this can be a great option as properly. You can too use agave syrup or honey.
• Cinnamon: This heat spice is so good on desserts. A splash of nutmeg or pumpkin spice is scrumptious, too!
• Rolled oats: These give the bars their form and good chewy texture. Use rolled, old school oats, since immediate or fast oats could make the bars crumbly. Swap with gluten-free oats if wanted.
• Flaxseed meal: These add a enjoyable crunch, further vitamins, and fiber. I like utilizing golden flaxseed meal as a result of it is sweeter and nuttier, however the darker flaxseed meal is sweet too.
• Chia seeds: Be at liberty to incorporate different seeds like sunflower and hemp seeds. I normally discover one of the best offers on chia seeds within the bulk bins on the grocery retailer or online. If you will discover them for lower than $5/pound, it is a fairly whole lot. Plus, they final without end.
• Combine-ins: Unsweetened shredded coconut and darkish chocolate chips or chunks are completely non-compulsory. However they only style so significantly better with them, particularly darkish chocolate with the sweetness of banana! You may even combine/swap with white chocolate, caramel chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruit.

The best way to Make No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

These bars take round 3-4 hours to set, making them excellent for making forward. Prep them earlier than you exit within the morning, or allow them to chill in a single day. Here is how one can make this straightforward peanut butter oatmeal bars recipe at dwelling:

1. Mix moist elements: Combine the mashed bananas, peanut butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon till properly mixed. For simpler mixing, make sure the elements, particularly the peanut butter, are at room temperature.
2. Combine in dry elements: Add the oats, flaxseed meal, coconut, and chia seeds to the moist combination. Stir till evenly mixed, then gently fold the chocolate chips. Combine some dried fruit, nuts, or different seeds for further diet and taste.
3. Set within the fridge: Press into an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Use the again of a measuring cup to press evenly. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours till agency.
4. Serve: As soon as set, lower the combination into squares. Wrap particular person squares in plastic wrap for handy grab-and-go snacks. Retailer any leftovers within the fridge.

Recipe Ideas and Methods

These no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars are “really easy a child might do it” easy. However listed below are a number of tricks to make completely positive yours prove excellent:

• Line your pan: These bars are sticky. A sheet of foil, parchment, or plastic wrap makes them straightforward to elevate out of your baking dish.
• Use actually ripe bananas: They’re sweeter and simpler to mash. One of the best bananas for baking are delicate with brown spots. If yours are nonetheless too agency, attempt these tips to ripen them quick.
• Press firmly: Actually press the chocolate peanut butter combination into your pan so the bars maintain their form. In any other case, they may crumble if you attempt to lower them! A flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup works nice for this.
• Chill, not freeze: A sluggish chill lets the oats soak up moisture from the moist elements so you find yourself with delicate, agency, however nonetheless chewy bars. Freezing will not make them set sooner. It’s going to simply provide you with a rock-hard block that’ll collapse as soon as they thaw.
• Get inventive: Attempt swirling in some jam or fruit preserves earlier than chilling. Combine in crushed graham crackers, oreos, fruit slices, nuts, pretzels, and different stuff you get pleasure from. A drizzle of melted chocolate on high of the bars additionally makes them look so fancy.
• Improve protein: Add some protein powder if you wish to up the protein content material of those no bake bars. Use casein or brown rice protein powder for one of the best outcomes.

The best way to Retailer Oatmeal Bars

In case you are fortunate sufficient to have leftovers, this is how one can retailer these no bake chocolate oat bars:

• To retailer: Minimize the bars into particular person servings and hold them within the fridge for as much as 1 week in an hermetic container.
• To freeze: These bars will also be frozen after setting and saved within the fridge for as much as 2 months. Freeze in particular person parts and wrap in parchment paper to maintain them from sticking.