A few notes from the creator of this recipe: 1) Bake temp should be 350 degrees F. 2) I now use 1/2 cup flaxseed for gluten free. 3) Sometimes I use 2 bananas and 1/4 cup applesauce for a little lighter texture. 4) This recipe makes 6-9 bars, but definitely not 12 if you like to feel full when you eat breakfast! :) These are also really yummy if you use almond butter in the batter instead of peanut butter!!!
Thanks so much for this recipe--we love it! From the ingredients I was pretty confident it would be a hit, so I doubled it the first time out and baked in a 13x9 glass dish lined with foil as recipe recommends. I baked at 350 for 30 min, then another 10 for the peanut butter topping. Perfect! The changes I made were to use multi grain oatmeal type cereal, not the quick oats; natural peanut butter, no salt, agave nectar instead of sugar, and I used a blend of hemp hearts, milled flax seeds, and chia seeds instead of flax and wheat germ. I just cut them up and put in plastic bags in the fridge so they're easy to grab and go. One Note: don't be afraid of the peanut butter topping--it just cooks into the bars and isn't messy at all.
I love that this recipe is pure protein, fiber, and energy, with no added sugar. The banana & honey give it a slight sweetness, and my only cheat was to use Skippy dark chocolate peanut butter. As suggested, I used a combination of bananas and applesauce, more flax seeds, and even used freshly ground peanut butter from Sprouts for the top layer. Compared to a store-bought protein bar, I admit that I like that the store bought is covered in a layer of chocolate (which I should be avoiding anyway). Besides from that, this is SO MUCH cheaper and it feels good to be eating a home-made bar without the commercial additives. I needed something to help me achieve a healthy, active lifestyle without costing a lot of money. Now these have replaced store-bought protein bars as my pre or post-workout snack! It is powerful fuel, satisfying, and easy to make!
I made this recipe and both my kids and I loved them! I made it with a chocolate flavoured protein powder, but it wasn't very chocolaty. We take these with us to swimming lessons and have them in the car for a boost just before swimming. They are very very good!
Yum! Just made these and the family is sampling. They really are tastey and so easy and I always have these ingredients on hand! One exception.....didn't have quick cook oats so used extra thick whole grain rolled oats and the recipe turned out great! I also sprinkled about 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips on when I spread the peanut butter on top. This will be a repeater!
Nice, healthy protein bars. These really only make 9 in an 8x8pan. Love my bars moist, so I use extra huge banana's. I use a 50/50 combo of Regular oats and Steel cut. I have used a pre-done Flaxseed mix with dried fruit in it, which I got at Whole Foods. I only use local honey, so that it helps with my allergies. I've doubled the ground cinnamon and tripled the Vanilla extract as I could not find Hemp with Vanilla in it. I'm not a Peanut Butter fan at all, but have found that these protein bars are okay with it. The next time I do a batch I am going to substitute the PB with Apple Butter instead.
I have given this 5 stars because my husband likes them! I have edited my review- I changed the recipe and so I'm changing my review! I make these every week and we eat them in place of a meal or a snack on days when we have extra exercise. My husband and I are both in our 60's so a replacement meal makes sense to us. I prepare this way with: 1.5c quick oats, .25c wheat germ, .25c ground flax seed, .25c nutritional yeast, .5c soy protein, 1tsp gr. cinnamon, 1tsp vanilla powder & .5tsp Kosher salt; the liquids are 3 bananas, .5c applesauce 2Tbs honey, 1tsp vanilla extra. and one egg. It comes out this way: 165 calories, 25g carbs, 3g fat & 9g protein. They are not sweet so you do not crave sweets after eating one. No topping & have to bake for 35 minutes to be done.
I made these today and my 18 year old son and picky husband really liked these. I followed the suggestions of using 2 bananas and 1/2 cup applesauce. I also used 1/2 cup flax seeds and no wheat germ. I doubled the cinnamon and added a couple table spoons of chia seeds. I also did not add the peanut butter on top because I was afraid they would be messy.
I'd been looking for a recipe that included most/all of the healthy ingredients listed in this recipe. I couldn't find anything other than granola which usually has oil, syrup, and brown sugar in them. These bars are perfect for me. Really good taste, filling and healthy and just enough natural sweetness from the bananas and honey. I'm sure I'll be making these frequently. Thanks for submitting, SavedByGrace.
None of my kids cared for them. Will keep looking for a healthy and delicious bar.
