Banana Chocolate Breakfast Bars

Makes 6-8 bars

Margaret Ziegler

ingredients

2 cups rolled oats or mixed rolled grains
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup dried, unsweetened grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 1/4 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate
4 very ripe, medium bananas, peeled
1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole almond butter (substitute olive oil, or slightly warmed coconut oil)

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a medium baking dish with vegetable oil.
2
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, ground almonds, coconut, and salt. Set aside. Chop the chocolate so the largest pieces are about the size of a chocolate chip. Set aside.
3
In another medium mixing bowl, combine the bananas, vanilla, and almond butter, and mash thoroughly using a potato masher. Add the oats mixture and mix well. Fold the chocolate in gently.
4
Pour into the prepared baking dish, level the surface, and slip into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is set and golden-brown. Let cool completely before slicing into bars. If you’re not serving all the bars at once, I suggest you cut out only what you need. Cover the rest with foil and keep at room temperature.

Source: Margaret Ziegler