Chunky Monkey Protein Baked Oat Bars (Printable)

Hearty baked oat bars with banana, chocolate chips, and walnuts for an energy-boosting breakfast or snack.

# What You 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 or flax egg for vegan option
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

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mash the bananas. Whisk in the applesauce, maple syrup, almond milk, egg, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine the rolled oats, protein powder, chopped walnuts, dark chocolate chips, shredded coconut if using, cinnamon, sea salt, and baking powder.
04 - Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
05 - Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with additional chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.
06 - Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the surface is golden and the bars are set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean.
07 - Allow bars to cool completely in the pan. Using the parchment paper, lift the entire block out of the pan and slice into 12 equal portions.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • They taste like dessert but your body knows you're actually taking care of it with real oats and protein.
  • One batch lasts through the week, so you can stop thinking about breakfast and start thinking about literally anything else.
  • The texture is impossibly chewy in the middle with crispy edges, which somehow happens almost every single time.
02 -
  • If your bars come out cakey instead of chewy, you probably overbaked them by even three minutes—set a timer and check at 25, not just when you remember to look.
  • Banana ripeness matters more than you think; underripe bananas won't mash smoothly and won't add enough natural sweetness, so wait until yours have brown spots.
03 -
  • Use parchment paper that slightly overhangs your pan edges—it makes removal effortless and prevents that frustrating edge-crumbling situation.
  • If your protein powder is vanilla flavored, you can reduce the vanilla extract to half a teaspoon since it'll already be present in the base.
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