This banana oatmeal bar recipe started as my take on an old apricot square recipe I had in my files. I swapped in fresh banana and local honey for the filling and kept the buttery oat layers, and it turned into a sweet little cookie that’s perfect for parties.
Bananas need to be yellow, with some brown, but not black or bruised. The banana inside the peel should still be firm with a light cream color throughout.
Then & Now
This recipe originated from a recipe I had years ago called Apricot Squares. It's the exact crumble recipe, only I change the apricot jam to a mixture of fresh mashed banana and honey. I first had them at a Christmas Cookie Exchange where everyone brought cookies and also the recipe! I loved that.
These are pretty sweet so you can cut them into 1 inch or 2 inch squares to get as many as possible. They make a tasty little bite with a cup of coffee or tea.
When I tested this idea, I thought for sure the banana would turn a goopy brown color, but it didn't! It must be from using a just ripe banana or mixing it with the honey prevented browning. They turned out great so I'm sharing this delicious recipe with you today.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder (Aluminum-Free if possible)
- Light Brown or Golden Brown Sugar
- Quick Oats
- Salted Butter
- Fresh Banana
- Honey (light colored local honey is best)
Snapshots of Making Banana Oatmeal Bars
- Make a crumble crust for the bottom layer and the top layer.
2. Mash the banana and stir in the honey.
3. Press part of the crumble into the bottom of the pan. Then spread over the banana mixture, and top with remaining crumble. Three layers.
Common Questions
Can I use old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats?
Yes, but the texture will be a little chewier. Quick oats blend into the crumble layers more easily and hold the bar together better. If you want to make your old fashioned oats like quick oats, just toss them for a few pulses in the food processor, chopper, or blender.
Love oatmeal? check out my recipe for Old Fashioned Granola or No Bake Cookies.
What type of banana works best?
A ripe yellow banana with very little or a few brown spots is ideal. It’s sweet, soft, and blends well into the filling. Avoid green or overly mushy bananas.
Lanie's 🔅Recipe Reflections
- Be sure to use banana that is ripe, but not rotten. NO ROTTEN BANANAS. Otherwise, you will have Rotten Banana Bars and you don't want that! Ripe is yellow, no green, with a few brown freckles at most. If you love bananas, check out my Banana Bread recipe.
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Banana Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (non-aluminum if available)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed in dry style measuring cup
- 1 ½ cups Quick Oats
Filling
- 2 small bananas, ripe but firm (mashed equals ¾ cup)
- 2 Tablespoons honey (light colored like clover or wildflower)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
- Dice butter into small cubes, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and brown sugar. Add oats and stir.
- Add the butter pieces. With your hands, blend it with the dry ingredients until crumbly.
- Pat down ⅔ of the crumble mixture in bottom of parchment-lined (9x13x2) metal baking pan.
- In a small bowl, mash the bananas (measure ¾ cup) and stir with the honey. Spread mixture in an even layer across the pressed crumble.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumble evenly on top of the banana mixture. Do not press.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until golden around top.
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