Whilst I’ve included ‘breakfast’ in the name of this recipe, these tasty whole food bars can be enjoyed any time of the day. Packed full of gut loving ingredients like oats and seeds these moreish bars are naturally sweet and so filling they’ll keep you going for hours!
I’ve seen a range of recipes out on the internet promoting ‘cake’ as a breakfast food. And whilst I am a huge fan of all things cake related, I just can’t get my head around it as a good way to start the day, no matter how much fruit you stuff in the mix!
Recipes like these banana breakfast bars are different though. They’re essentially muesli in solid form. And I regularly have that for breakfast. It’s just not easily portable – the milk would slop everywhere 😉
And the reason they’re not just for breakfast is these healthy bars are very similar to flapjacks, one of my favourite tasty treats, just without the tons of refined fat and sugars. Although nothing can really replace the super sweet hit that golden syrup delivers, the combination of maple syrup, ripe banana and dried fruit does provide a satisfying sweetness that won’t result in a sugar low an hour later. If you are big fan of flapjacks like me, have a look at this apple and date flapjack recipe or these low sugar ones instead. Both rather tasty.
These bars make a great snack for when you’re on the go or out at work when healthy options might be hard to find. Although of course you can also tuck in at home too – there’s no rules here 🙂
The mix of seeds provide a fabulous range of healthy fats and plant protein as well as important nutrients like calcium and magnesium. The complex fibre is great for the microbiome; these seeds also contain polyphenols that gut bacteria love to dine on too. I’ve included 3 types of seed, but feel free to either use less or different types depending on what you have in the store cupboard. And if you’re nut free, just leave them out and add extra seeds.
As well as providing sweetness and energy, the banana helps to bind the bars together. It always surprises me how many people are intolerant or allergic to bananas. If that’s you, sub with apple or squash puree instead. I’ve tried it with both; they bring a different but still awesome flavour to the bars.
For those of you who are gluten intolerant, make sure you use gluten free oats. However, if you still need to avoid those then you could use buckwheat or millet flakes instead. A disclaimer though – I haven’t tried that myself yet but I can’t see why that wouldn’t work.
I hope you enjoy making and eating these nourishing banana breakfast bars. Don’t forget to let me know how you get on.
Healthy banana breakfast bars
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180℃. Line the baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- Peel the ripe bananas and drop them into a large bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher until smooth.
- Add the ground flaxseed, water, olive oil and maple syrup. Stir well to combine.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the banana mix and stir well making sure everything is well combined. The mix will be thick.
- Transfer the mix to the prepared baking tin. Spread it out equally, pressing the mix into the corners.
- Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Then turn the tin in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the top is just starting to brown.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes then use a sharp knife to mark out 9 squares.
- Once completely cool, fully cut into square. Store in an air-tight container in a cool place for up to 4 days.
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