Chunky Monkey Protein Oat Bars (Printable)

Energy-boosting oat bars with banana, chocolate, and walnuts. Ideal for grab-and-go breakfasts.

# What You'll Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
03 - 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
04 - 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
05 - 1 large egg
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

07 - 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
08 - 1/2 cup vanilla or chocolate protein powder
09 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
10 - 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
11 - 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
13 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
14 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, mash bananas thoroughly. Whisk in applesauce, maple syrup, almond milk, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine oats, protein powder, walnuts, chocolate chips, coconut if using, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
04 - Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with additional chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.
06 - Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden and set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean.
07 - Cool completely in the pan. Lift out using parchment paper and slice into 12 equal bars.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They taste like dessert but actually fuel your body with real protein and whole oats.
  • One batch covers your breakfasts for nearly two weeks if you're strategic about storage.
  • No fancy equipment needed—just bowls, a whisk, and an oven you probably already use.
02 -
  • Overripe bananas are non-negotiable—underripe ones won't mash smoothly and will leave lumps that ruin the texture.
  • Don't let the protein powder situation stress you; vanilla and chocolate both work, but measure with a scale if you have one because scooping compacts it differently.
03 -
  • Toast your walnuts in a dry skillet for two minutes before chopping them—it wakes up their flavor and makes the whole batch taste more sophisticated.
  • If your bars come out too dense, you probably either overmixed the batter or used too much protein powder; next time mix gently and measure the powder by weight if possible.
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