Chocolate Chip Oat Bars
A simple and wholesome plant-based snack featuring oats, bananas, and chocolate chips for a fiber-rich breakfast or dessert!
Servings: 15 bars
Equipment
- 9” x 13” Baking Pan
- Stand or Electirc Mixer Optional
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
- 6 tbsp Water
- 4 Bananas Very ripe bananas with brown spots
- ¾ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Avocado or Vegetable Oil
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ¾ tsp Sea Salt
- 2½ cups Old-Fashioned Oats Gluten-Free if needed
- 2½ cups All-Purpose Flour or 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour
- 1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips or Chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 opposite sides.
- Add your ground flaxseed and water into a small bowl to gel together for about 10 minutes. Peel bananas and add to a mixing bowl or your stand mixer. Mash the bananas until smooth. Next, add in the flax eggs, brown sugar, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Start to add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the baking soda, salt, oats, and flour into the mixing bowl and mix until just combined. Next, fold in ¾ cup of your chocolate chips and mix until they are evenly distributed. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes before pouring it into your pan.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Finally, sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup chips. Gently press these into the top of the bars. Bake bar until firm in the center and golden brown around the edges, 20 to 23 minutes. Let the bars fully cool. Using parchment overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Slice into pieces and serve.
- Storage Instructions: Store your oat bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week to maintain a firmer texture. These bars are also excellent for freezing; simply wrap them individually and store them in a freezer-safe bag for up to three months.
- Reheating Instructions: To enjoy that fresh-from-the-oven melty chocolate experience, pop a bar into the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. If reheating from frozen, let the bar thaw at room temperature for an hour, or warm it in a toaster oven at 300°F for about five minutes until heated through.