Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Bars (Print Version)

Chewy, wholesome bars with blueberries, banana, oats, and protein, perfect for a nutritious grab-and-go snack.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
02 - 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
07 - 1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup
08 - 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
11 - 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or unsalted butter

→ Mix-Ins

12 - 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together oats, vanilla protein powder, ground cinnamon, salt, and baking powder until evenly mixed.
03 - In a separate bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Add honey or maple syrup, applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract, and melted coconut oil. Whisk thoroughly until homogeneous.
04 - Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined.
05 - Carefully fold fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter, avoiding overmixing to preserve berry texture.
06 - Evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing the surface.
07 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes until the bars turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan, then use the parchment overhang to lift them out and cut into 12 bars.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They taste like banana bread but you can eat them with one hand on your way out the door.
  • The blueberries stay jammy and sweet even after baking, so every bite feels a little indulgent.
  • You can make a full batch in under an hour and have breakfast sorted for days.
  • They actually keep you full until lunch without that mid-morning crash.
02 -
  • Let the bars cool all the way before cutting or they'll fall apart in your hands, I learned this the messy way.
  • Frozen blueberries work better than fresh if you want the bars to slice cleanly without purple streaks everywhere.
  • If the batter looks too thick, don't add liquid, it's supposed to be dense and it spreads as it bakes.
03 -
  • Use bananas with plenty of brown spots, they mash easier and make the bars naturally sweeter without extra sugar.
  • Press a few extra blueberries on top of the batter before baking, it makes them look bakery-pretty and adds little bursts of flavor.
  • Line your pan with enough parchment to create handles, it's the difference between clean bars and a crumbly mess.
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