Banana Nut Breakfast Bars
Updated January 16, 2024
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 ripe medium bananas (about 240 grams peeled)
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons/90 milliliters olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
¾ cup/187 grams peanut or almond butter
6 tablespoons/120 grams honey
2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), or 1 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup/100 grams old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup/80 grams walnut halves and pieces, roughly chopped
Flaky salt, for topping
Nutritional analysis per serving
30 grams carbs; 41 milligrams cholesterol; 391 calories; 15 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 28 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 236 milligrams sodium; 9 grams protein; 16 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas; you should get about 1 cup mashed bananas. Add the eggs and whisk with the fork to evenly combine. Set the mixture aside for 15 minutes.
- Step 2
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat to 350 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square pan and line it with a long sheet of parchment paper to cover the bottom and two sides, creasing as needed to ensure a secure fit.
- Step 3
Add the olive oil, peanut butter, honey, kosher salt, cinnamon and vanilla to the banana mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the oats and whisk to combine.
- Step 4
Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, then top it with the walnuts and a light sprinkling of flaky salt. Bake until the top feels set when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Step 5
Cool fully before using the parchment to lift the bars out of the pan. Cut into 9 squares and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Private Notes
Comments
I like the simplicity and adaptability of this recipe. I cut the honey down to one T or so, and subbed applesauce for 4 T of the oil. I added a touch extra to make up for the moisture lost by cutting back the honey. Turned it tasty and plenty sweet for me.
I followed this exactly and I am an experienced cook. These look good but have little to no taste. Its not sweet, you can't taste the peanut butter. The salt on top pushes it away from sweet to... neutral. Perhaps this is for "special" diets. It feels like food-by-committee. Just don't. Really.
Chocolate chips made a great addition..and when do they not!
Reading the comments after you pop these in the iven was scary. I had to sub out rolled oats for almond flour because I didn’t have oats. This made it cakier. The bananas were very ripe and skipped the salt and these are fine breakfast bars. They got a lot of hate but the were worth making. Not overly sweet, satisfying and filling.
Just made these for the first time! I am glad I did! It is a 4 star recipe though. It’s not a 5. I wouldn’t bring them to a potluck or anything but it’s a healthy kid friendly breakfast/snack that I will make again. I do agree with others who found them too salty. I will do a quarter less salt next time. I served them with fresh berries. To help others consider this before making them. - do you care more about health over absolute tastiness? - do you have bananas that are almost completely black?
I've been making this recipe all summer. We eat them on the morning of a big hike or birdwatching adventure with a bowl of yogurt and fruit. My husband is amazed at how these nut bars keep us full for such a long time. I just use 3/4 tsp of salt and add 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips! Yum!