Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Bars (Printable Page)

Chewy bars blending blueberries, ripe bananas, oats, and protein for a nutritious start.

# What You 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)

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang for easy removal.
02 - Whisk together rolled oats, protein powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
03 - In a separate bowl, mash bananas. Add honey or maple syrup, applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract, and melted coconut oil. Whisk until smooth.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined.
05 - Fold in blueberries carefully to avoid overmixing, especially if using frozen berries.
06 - Evenly spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
07 - Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before lifting out and cutting into 12 bars.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're genuinely chewy and taste like actual blueberries, not a flavor-approximation afterthought.
  • One bar has as much protein as a Greek yogurt, but way more satisfying when you need something you can eat with one hand.
  • Your kitchen smells incredible while they bake, and they last long enough that you're not baking twice a week.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the fastest way to turn these chewy—a few gentle stirs is all you need once wet and dry meet.
  • If using frozen blueberries, keeping them frozen until they go into the batter prevents them from leaking color and turning the whole thing blue, which looks cool but tastes mushy.
03 -
  • If your batter seems too thick after combining wet and dry, it probably just needs a minute for the oats to absorb the moisture—don't add extra liquid unless it looks completely dry.
  • Cutting the bars while they're still slightly warm makes clean edges; cold bars can crumble, so if yours start to break apart, pop them in the fridge for 10 minutes before cutting.
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