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If you’re craving something sweet at breakfast or snack time, these Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars will hit the spot. They’re packed with oats, bananas, creamy peanut butter, and chocolate chips, creating a chewy, soft, sweet treat that’s also good for you. They come together in just 30 minutes, so you can have a tasty bite with minimal prep.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s portable. These are great to eat on the go, whether you’re headed to work, school, or an activity.
- It’s fast. This recipe takes just 5 minutes of prep time and comes together in 30 minutes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Rolled oats: For a finer texture, use quick-cooking oats.
- Bananas: You’ll need three ripe bananas for this recipe.
- Peanut butter: Use creamy peanut butter (or another nut butter like almond or cashew) to bind everything together.
- Maple syrup: Sweeten the bars with a drizzle of real maple syrup, or use another liquid sweetener like honey or agave nectar.
- Chocolate chips: Switch up the flavor profile with semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate chips.
- Salt: Adding a pinch of salt will help bring out the savory taste of the peanut butter.
How To Make Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Recipe Tips
- Use ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and softer they’ll be, making them easier to mash and naturally sweeten the bars.
- For a smooth texture, use creamy peanut butter, but you can substitute with other nut butters like almond or cashew if desired.
- Leave some parchment paper hanging over the edge of the pan for easy removal after baking.
- Don’t overbake. The bars should be slightly golden but soft.
Storing and Reheating
Storing: Keep the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To reheat: Let them sit at room temperature for an hour before serving, or microwave straight from the fridge for about 10-15 seconds to soften.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Wrap bars individually in plastic wrap or place them in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for an hour before serving.
Quick oats will work, but they’ll give you a softer, denser bar with less chew. The bars may also be a bit more compact since quick oats absorb moisture faster and break down more during baking.
Rolled oats are better because they hold their shape, giving the bars that classic chewy texture most people expect.
More Oatmeal Recipes
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal
- Oatmeal Jam Cookies
- Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Cups
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment and rate the recipe! Also follow me at Cookin’ With Mima on Facebook |Instagram |Pinterest for all of my latest social posts and recipes.
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 4 cups rolled oats, for fine texture inside use quick-cooking oats
- 1 ½ cup mashed ripe bananas, about 3 large bananas
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, can use almond or cashew butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup chocolate chips, reserve a handful to sprinkle on top
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Line 8X8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl mix mashed bananas, peanut butter, and maple syrup.
- To a bowl with rolled oats add salt and mix to incorporate.
- Add rolled oats and salt mixture into a bowl with wet ingredients. Mix everything nicely. Add chocolate chips and incorporate well.
- Transfer the batter to the baking dish.
- Press down the top with a spatula, making sure the corners are as equally filled.
- Sprinkle the top with reserved chocolate chips.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges start to get lightly brown.
- Don’t overbake or the bars will turn out hard.
- Let cool a little and then cut into 12 square bars.
- Serve warm or cooled.
- Store in an airtight container or zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Let sit an hour at room temperature before serving. Or you could also gently reheat the bar in the microwave.
- Freeze tightly wrapped in a food plastic wrap or zip lock bag for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Use ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and softer they’ll be, making them easier to mash and naturally sweeten the bars.
- Don’t overbake. The bars should be slightly golden but soft.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting and they will hold their shape better.
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
