Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
I’ve never met a banana bread, banana cake, banana cookie, or banana muffin that I didn’t love. So I knew these banana chocolate chip bars would be a winner before I even tasted them. These oatmeal cookie bars have the flavor of banana bread, the dense and chewy texture of oatmeal cookies, and the melty chocolate factor of chocolate chip cookies. I took a tried and true recipe for Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies that has been a reader favorite over the years and adapted it into bars. Truth be told, it is so much faster and easier to make bars compared to cookies. Rather than making dough that needs to be chilled and then making individual cookies one by one, this dough needs no chilling and you just slap it all in a pan. No fuss baking is the only kind of baking I do. I consider the bars to be on the healthier side, but you would never know it because they taste so good. There is only 1/4 cup of butter used and lots of whole-grain oats. You’re going to love the bold banana flavor, the chewy oats that add so much texture, and plenty of chocolate that melts in your mouth in every bite.
What’s in Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars?
To make these banana chocolate chip bars, you’ll need:
Egg Ripe bananas Light brown sugar Granulated sugar Unsalted butter Vanilla extract Old-fashioned oats All-purpose flour Cinnamon Baking soda Salt Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
In a large bowl, cream together the egg, bananas, sugars, butter, and vanilla, then beat until well combined. The mixture won’t be smooth, fluffy, or ‘creamed’ like traditional cookie dough and will have small chunks of bananas present and it’s on the runnier side. Add in the dry ingredients, then fold in the chocolate chips. Turn the batter into a greased 9×9-inch pan and sprinkle the top with more chocolate chips. Bake until the bars are set. Allow bars to cool in the pan for 30 minutes before slicing and serving
Can I Use Instant Oats Instead of Old-Fashioned?
Make sure you use old-fashioned whole rolled oats and not quick cook or instant. The latter two more flour-like and would overly dry the dough and render the bars dry and crumbly.
Can I Add Other Mix-Ins?
Yes, you can add up to 1 cup of mix-ins. Chopped nuts, different flavors of chocolate chips, or even butterscotch chips would taste delicious in this recipe.
Tips for Making Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
If you’d like your bars to have a stronger cinnamon flavor, feel free to add more in. I like my bars super cinnamon-y, so I added a full teaspoon to the batter. Also, if you don’t have an electric mixer you can certainly make this recipe with just a bowl, spoon, and elbow grease. It’ll be a bit tricky to cream together the banana and butter mixture, but it’s doable. Lastly, note that because bananas have differing levels of moisture and no two are exactly alike, baking times could range. Don’t get too hung up on what the clock says and bake until your cookies are done.
More Banana Dessert Recipes:
40+ Banana Bread and Banana Recipes HERE Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — Only 1/4 cup butter used! Like oatmeal cookies but with banana to keep them healthier! So soft, chewy, and you’ll never miss the butter!
Fudgy Banana Bars with Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze – The banana equivalent of moist, fudgy brownies! Best use ever of ripe bananas!
Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding — This 100% scratch old-fashioned banana pudding recipe is made with homemade vanilla pudding, ripe bananas, and Nilla Wafers. It’s EASY to assemble and SO GOOD!!
Banana Bread Bars with Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze – Banana bread in bar form with a glaze that soaks in and is just so.darn.good!
Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread — This is the BEST homemade banana bread recipe! This banana bread tastes like it has cheesecake baked in! Soft, fluffy, easy and tastes ahhhh-mazing!!
Caramelized Banana Upside Down Cake — This upside down cake is super moist thanks to the combination of sour cream, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. It’s so easy to make, and the caramelized banana flavor is impossible to resist!
Banana Cream Pie Bars – Faster and easier than making a banana cream pie and taste AMAZING!! A crunchy crust, tender banana slices, luscious banana pudding, and creamy whipped topping make these layered pie bars WINNERS!!
