Peanut butter and banana oat bars

Course: Snack

Finding snacks for the kids that aren’t full of sugar but are still appealing and delicious can be difficult. Luckily, Chris Bavin has just the recipe to please the little ones.

These oat bars are great snacks for on the go and are suitable for freezing, so you can have an endless supply of tasty treats for the walk home from school or when they get in.

Want more like this? Join us at the BBC Good Food Show Summer 2023, taking place this weekend, and see chefs and experts like Chris demoing their recipes live on stage!

Serves: 10

Cooks in: Preparation Time: 10mins, Cooking Time: 35-40mins

Difficulty: Easy

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Ingredients

200g (7oz) jumbo porridge oats
120g (41/4oz) plain flour, white or wholemeal
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
Good pinch of salt
75g (21/2oz) raisins
3 tbsp desiccated coconut (optional)
2 ripe bananas
2 large tbsp peanut butter or any other nut butter you have
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
375ml (121/2fl oz) milk – can be dairy, nut milk, soya, or coconut
3 tbsp honey

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF/Gas 4). Place the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, raisins, and coconut in a large bowl and mix together.

2. Mash the bananas and peanut butter together then add the egg. Beat the egg into the mixture, making sure everything is well combined, then add the vanilla, milk, and honey.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix together well, then pour the mixture into a lined 20cm x 20cm (8 x 8in) tin and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out of the centre clean. Leave to cool in the tray then cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Feed the freezer!
Freeze the cooked bars in an airtight container, slotting greaseproof paper between them to stop them from sticking together. Thaw at room temperature then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.