Easy Banana Bread Bars

Oh, banana bread! You are such a delightfully simple, yet satisfying bake.

And satisfying for so many reasons: as well as tasting great, this classic can be made super-healthy, in just one bowl, and it even helps you to use up those brown bananas no-one wants to eat. And these particular Easy Banana Bread Bars are just brilliant for breakfast, coffee-breaking and (of course) dessert.

Here are my top 5 reasons to make these bars:

1. you only need one bowl;
2. they take only 10 minutes to prepare;
3. from 10 store-cupboard ingredients;
4. you’ll be reducing your food waste; and
5. oh, I don’t know, they TASTE SO GOOD.

Do you always have a bunch of past-their-best bananas in your kitchen? We certainly do, although that’s probably because I’ve bought a bunch for weekday breakfasts, and then chosen to eat something else instead, like impromptu peanut butter overnight oats, or last week’s banana bread…

But beyond the simplicity of making this recipe, the flavour and texture are just wonderful! Now, I love my Chocolate Banana Bread Muffins (they’re nice and oaty), but the spelt flour in this version really does up the game. It gives them an incredible nutty flavour, and such a light and fluffy crumb. These bars are:

• banana-sweet and almost creamy;
• light and airy;
• soft;
• nutty;
• wholesome;
• a little crunchy with pumpkin seeds; and
• studded with little treats in the form of organic dark chocolate chips.

This mixture is also incredibly versatile. I’ve tried it in a square tin (to make these bars), in a loaf tin and a plain old roasting tin, and each and every time it comes out perfect. You also don’t need any equipment besides a fork, spoon and spatula, so you can whip up a batch wherever you are (oven permitting).

For a recipe that came about as a ‘throw a bunch of ingredients in a bowl and see what happens’ experiment I’m thrilled it turned out so well, so I hope you enjoy it. I’d love to see your banana bread creations – send me your photos using the links below and I’ll share them!

Easy Banana Bread Bars

 

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Preparation time

10 mins

Cooking time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

These 1-Bowl Easy Banana Bread Bars are so simple to make, and taste amazing! Perfect for any time of the day.

Author: The Whole Ingredient

Recipe type: Breakfast & Brunch, Sweet

Cuisine: 60 minutes or less, Vegan

Ingredients

• Wet
• 4 very ripe bananas
• 3 tbsp tahini (or nut butter)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Dry
• 160g spelt flour
• 30g dark, vegan chocolate chips
• 2 medjool dates, chopped (or 4 smaller dates)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Topping
• 10g pumpkin seeds
• 5g dark, vegan chocolate chips

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
2. Using a fork, thoroughly mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add to these the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well.
3. Sift the flour into the bowl and lightly stir in the remaining dry ingredients until you can no longer see any flour.
4. Line an 8-inch square tin with parchment paper and pour the banana bread mixture in. You can even it out with a spatula if you need to.
5. Sprinkle on the remaining chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Once cooked, leave to cool before slicing. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

3.5.3208

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