Chunky Monkey Protein Baked Oat Bars (Printer-Friendly)

Energy-boosting baked oat bars with banana, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Perfect grab-and-go 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

# How to Cook:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, mash the bananas thoroughly. Whisk in applesauce, maple syrup, almond milk, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine oats, protein powder, walnuts, chocolate chips, coconut if using, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
04 - Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until just combined.
05 - Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with extra chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.
06 - Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden and set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean.
07 - Cool completely in the pan. Lift out using parchment paper, then slice into 12 bars.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They taste like dessert but pack 7g of protein per bar, so you're not fooling yourself about nutrition.
  • Fifteen minutes of prep means you can make a week's worth of breakfasts on Sunday without losing your mind.
  • The chocolate-walnut-banana combo hits every craving at once, which is honestly kind of genius.
02 -
  • Bananas vary wildly in moisture content, so if your batter looks soupy, the bars might turn out dense and cake-like instead of chewy—which honestly isn't terrible, but it's different.
  • Don't peek constantly while baking or you'll let heat escape and confuse your timing.
  • These bars firm up even more as they cool, so they might feel slightly underbaked when you pull them out.
03 -
  • Use a flax egg if you're vegan, but mix it with a tiny bit of extra applesauce so it's not quite so thick.
  • If your protein powder is vanilla, go chocolate chips; if it's chocolate, the vanilla flavor still works and actually gets more complex.
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