No Bake Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars

No Bake Oatmeal Bars are made with good-for-you components: 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 youngsters 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 stored everybody fueled and full.

Relating to these bars, I really like the mix of creamy peanut butter, banana, and chocolate. As a child, I beloved consuming peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and I nonetheless make peanut butter banana toast fairly recurrently 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 true 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 every little thing style higher, I additionally added a few of that. Lastly, every little thing goes to the fridge, the place the bars agency up and all of the flavors mix.

In the event 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 right dessert!

Why You’ll Love These No Bake Banana Oat Bars

Listed here are some causes these no bake peanut butter oat bars are the right 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 components 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. Strive my Yogurt Chia Seed Pudding, Low Carb Lemon Chia Seed Muffins, and Low Carb Yogurt Parfait with Strawberries subsequent time!

Components and Straightforward Swaps

This is every little thing you must make these no bake peanut butter bars:

• Bananas: The browner, the sweeter! Mashed bananas additionally make the bars good and gentle.
• 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, decreased fats, and even different sorts 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 it is a great option as properly. You can even 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 style 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, additional vitamins, and fiber. I like utilizing golden flaxseed meal as a result of it is sweeter and nuttier, however the darker flaxseed meal is nice too.
• Chia seeds: Be happy to incorporate different seeds like sunflower and hemp seeds. I normally discover the most effective offers on chia seeds within the bulk bins on the grocery retailer or online. If you could find 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-obligatory. However they only style so a lot better with them, particularly darkish chocolate with the sweetness of banana! You’ll be able to even combine/swap with white chocolate, caramel chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruit.

Make No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

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

1. Mix moist components: Combine the mashed bananas, peanut butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon till properly mixed. For simpler mixing, make sure the components, particularly the peanut butter, are at room temperature.
2. Combine in dry components: 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 additional 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 Suggestions and Methods

These no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars are “really easy a child may do it” easy. However listed below are just a few tricks to make completely certain yours end up good:

• 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. The perfect bananas for baking are gentle 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 could crumble whenever you attempt to lower them! A flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup works nice for this.
• Chill, not freeze: A gradual chill lets the oats take up moisture from the moist components so you find yourself with gentle, agency, however nonetheless chewy bars. Freezing will not make them set sooner. It will simply offer you a rock-hard block that’ll collapse as soon as they thaw.
• Get artistic: Strive swirling in some jam or fruit preserves earlier than chilling. Combine in crushed graham crackers, oreos, fruit slices, nuts, pretzels, and different stuff you take pleasure in. A drizzle of melted chocolate on prime 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 the most effective outcomes.

Retailer Oatmeal Bars

If you’re fortunate sufficient to have leftovers, this is the way to retailer these no bake chocolate oat bars:

• To retailer: Reduce 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 can be frozen after setting and stored within the fridge for as much as 2 months. Freeze in particular person parts and wrap in parchment paper to maintain them from sticking.