Chunky Monkey Protein Baked Oat Bars (Printable Version)

Wholesome banana-chocolate protein bars with oats and peanut butter. Perfect breakfast or snack.

# What You'll Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
03 - 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
04 - 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
05 - 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

07 - 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
08 - 1/2 cup vanilla or chocolate protein powder
09 - 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
10 - 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
13 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas until smooth. Stir in applesauce, honey or maple syrup, almond milk, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine oats, protein powder, walnuts, chocolate chips, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder.
04 - Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until just combined; avoid overmixing.
05 - Transfer mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan, pressing gently to create an even layer.
06 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the bars are set and golden brown around the edges.
07 - Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing into 12 equal portions.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They taste like a dessert but pack enough protein to actually keep you full until lunch.
  • One bowl, minimal cleanup, and you've got twelve ready-to-go snacks that taste like you spent way more time on them than you did.
  • The chocolate chunks stay slightly soft inside even after they cool, which is honestly the best part.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step even though you want to eat one warm; they'll fall apart and you'll be sad, trust me on this one.
  • If your protein powder is sweetened, reduce the honey slightly because these can get cloying fast, and you want that chocolate to sing.
03 -
  • Using very ripe bananas is non-negotiable because that's where the sweetness and binding power come from, so don't let anyone convince you to use ones that are still pale yellow.
  • Let the baked pan sit on a cold countertop rather than using the fridge unless you're in a real hurry, because the temperature shock can sometimes crack them slightly, and there's no reason to take that chance.
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