4-Ingredient Banana Oat Bars

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

Bananas are an amazing fruit. All by themselves they can turn into creamy, delicious ice cream, and eaten alone they are a satisfying snack. But they also do wonders in baked goods: bananas take the place of sugar, eggs, and fat in these wondrously chewy, yummy snack bars.

Ingredients

Olive oil or butter
2 large, very ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup pitted, chopped dried dates
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, or almonds
Grated nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup whole or 2% plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 teaspoons whole or 2% milk

Instructions

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-x9-inch square baking dish with olive oil or butter.
Peel the bananas and mash their flesh in a medium bowl. Mash very thoroughly until no large chunks remain; the bananas should be essentially liquid. (You will have between 1 and 1 1/4 cups.) Stir in the vanilla, if using. Add the oats and stir them in. Stir in the dates, nuts, and salt.
Transfer to the baking dish and pat into an even layer. If desired, sprinkle the top lightly with nutmeg or cinnamon. Bake until the edges just begin to crisp up, about 30 minutes.
Place the baking pan on a rack to cool. Meanwhile, if you’re making the glaze, whisk together the yogurt, honey, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl. When the pan is cool, cut into 9 squares. Drizzle each square with the glaze and enjoy.