Banana breakfast bars make a quick and easy breakfast or afternoon snack. Baked to perfection with simple ingredients like yogurt, oats, and bananas.
I originally made these banana bars the day before Mother’s Day thinking they’d be a great addition to our family brunch. I quickly remembered my Mom despises anything BANANA so there’s no way these would = love to my Mom. Good thing my baby brain thought of that, right?! Regardless, we’ve eaten them for breakfast or mid-morning snack [which is essentially a toddler brunch] the past few weeks and they’ve been a hit with my guys! Nana? We won’t go there…
Even though I didn’t grow up eating bananas [thanks Mom] we always have them in our house. They are the main ingredient in every smoothie and the perfect grab n’ go snack when we are headed out the door for the park. Because the boys are not satisfied with just ONE banana, I came up with these simple banana breakfast bars as an alternative when breakfast is light, lunch is a few hours away, and the boys need something heartier for their toddler brunch [aka snack]. The secret, protein-packed ingredient? YOGURT! Which actually outdoes bananas as a favorite food in this house. Which is A-OK with Mom because of all the health benefits yogurt offers their little tummies, brains, and bodies!
Now if you haven’t baked with yogurt, I highly encourage you to do so! Honestly, I’m not sure of the ratio when you substitute yogurt for fats and liquids in cooking. I’ve found it’s NOT an even cup-for-cup exchange. But you play around with a favorite recipe and find the right combination, your baked good will come out super moist, and packed with plenty of essential nutrients [protein and calcium to name a few] growing toddler bodies need! And mom’s and dad’s need too. While I used a banana flavored yogurt for extra banana punch, you can use plain, plain Greek, or vanilla yogurt too!
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 banana, mashed
- ½ cup banana yogurt
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- Optional: ½ cup chopped pecans
- Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter. Add egg, salt, banana and yogurt. Mix well.
- Add remaining ingredients until well combined.
- Spread batter in 8x8 inch pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with yogurt or sliced bananas as a topping.
For more information about baking with yogurt [specifically Greek yogurt] be sure to visit the Milk Means More MI Greek Yogurt Pinterest Page. I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe and play around with the fruit and yogurt flavor! Next up: STRAWBERRIES. Since it’s almost berry season here in Michigan!
Disclaimer: I am proud to partner with the United Dairy Industry of Michigan to bring you healthy recipes made with cow’s milk. Because of these great partnerships I am able to share delicious and nutritious family-friendly recipes. As always all opinion and ideas are 100% my own. Find out why Milk Means More on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.
