You know when you have so many bananas and they’re going bad and bruised? That was me yesterday and I didn’t want to just throw them in the freezer. So I looked up recipes. I found the obvious – banana bread and banana muffins – but I wanted something different. Then I found it. Banana oat bars. Here is the original recipe.

I thought it would be delicious and I loved that there was no added sugar. I also like that it calls for 4 bananas which made it super banana-ey in flavour. There really isn’t much to this recipe. It’s just mashed banana, oats (I used quick) and peanut butter. I added cinnamon and dried cranberries to the mix too. Once you have all that combined, it is a pretty sticky and loose batter, but that’s alright.

I spread it on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat, then popped it in a 350 oven. I wasn’t exactly sure how to know when it was cooked because there was nothing raw in it. I left it in for about 15 minutes; it got a little browned around the edges and firmed up nicely, so that’s when I took it out. Once it cooled down, it firmed up more but it remained soft.

I got 15 bars out of this, but you can cut them into whatever sized pieces you like. Make sure you store them in the fridge or freezer to avoid spoilage. These are perfect for lunches or on the go. They are super packed with fibre and protein from the oats and peanut butter, plus they don’t taste healthy because they have all the sweetness from the bananas. They are just a delicious and nutritious snack.