On the days Audrey and I have an early morning activity I often find myself trying to feed her, dress her, and dress myself, all while desperately trying to get in one sip of coffee as we walk out the door. Why? Because neither of us are morning people and (thankfully) she doesn’t wake until around 8 a.m. everyday. This recipe is the result of that early morning running around. I need a breakfast item that can easily be eaten whether at home or on the go. Something that is healthy yet portable. Doesn’t need to be cooked or warmed up. Soft, chewy, and easy to eat whether you have 1 tooth or a mouthful of teeth. Something Audrey can feed herself while I gulp down that last sip of coffee. These banana oatmeal breakfast bars are my answer.
Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
9 months + up
Makes approx. 12 bars
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, optional
- 1 tablespoon flaxmeal
- 1/4 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper*, leaving enough paper to hang over all four edges. This will allow you to easily lift the bars out of the pan.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas together with a fork until smooth. Add the oil, maple syrup if using, flaxmeal, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Whisk together until well combined. Stir in the oats and raisins. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Holding the edges of the parchment paper, gently lift the bars out of the pan. Let cool and cut into squares.
* If you don’t have parchment paper just lightly coat cake pan with oil or cooking spray. Allow to cool in pan before cutting into bars.
Just made this and it is awesome! I omitted the maple syrup because I feel that it was not needed, and I was right. Plus I am not big on giving my little one sugar. This recipe has so many possibilities. Add dried cherries, apricots, or even nuts, once my baby boy is able to! Thank you so much!
That’s fantastic – I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these and that you were able to adapt them to your family’s taste and preference!!!
This is such a fantastic recipe! I made it for my 12-month son, and he absolutely INHALED a bar by himself! I love that there are no eggs in it either- I’m always afraid of chewy bars with eggs, that it wouldn’t be cooked enough. This is going into my weekly cooking rotation- thanks!
That’s fantastic – I’m so happy your son likes them. They are a huge hit in our house and such a great breakfast or snack to have ready in no time at all!
For some odd reason, the bananas in my cupboard range from tiny to gigantic and I am spacing out what a normal banana looks like. Could you give an estimate for the number of cups of mashed banana that you use? Thanks very much for posting this great looking recipe!
No problem and thank you! I should have stated in the recipe to use medium bananas. I will change that. For this recipe, use 1 cup mashed (the equivalent of 3 medium bananas). Enjoy
This is JUST what I’ve been looking for for my (soon) 2 y.o. boy who is allergic to dairy and eggs. I gave him some store bought ones, which he loved, but they were too pricy to give every day. How long do you think they’ll keep if I wrap up and keep in the fridge? He’ll want these for his lunch every day!
Oh, that’s great. I hope he enjoys them! They will keep in the fridge for 3 days, but honestly, they never last that long in my house 🙂 They also freeze well (up to 3 months)
What can I us instead of coconut oil? My son has a metabolic condition and coconut and coconut products aren’t good for him. Thanks!
You can def use butter, unsalted!