Peanut Butter Banana and Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Hi, Everyone! I hope that you're all having a great week, and aren't suffering from horrible allergies like I am! I'm so tired of all the coughing, I've never had allergies this bad! Anyway... I have a great recipe to share with you today! I've made and shared lots of different kinds of granola bar recipes with you (scroll down to the end of the post for links to my granola bar recipes!) and I absolutely love these Peanut Butter Banana and Chocolate Chip Granola Bars! I love peanut butter and bananas together, so I thought I would try using these flavors in a granola bar recipe, and then I added some chocolate chips for added sweetness! They are soft and chewy and I love the banana flavor that hits you as soon as you take a bite! If you've never made granola bars at home, you should really give them a try... they are so easy to make and are so much healthier than store-bought ones! I hope you enjoy this recipe that I'm sharing with you today!

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA AND CHOCOLATE CHIP GRANOLA BARS 

*Makes 12 granola bars*

YOU WILL NEED:
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used all natural creamy)
2 small ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
*Optional - add 1/2 cup peanuts (unsalted, dry roasted) for extra crunch!

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, mix together oats, flour, brown sugar and salt (you don't need to use an electric mixer, this is really easy to mix by hand). Then, begin adding in all the wet ingredients (oil, egg, vanilla extract, peanut butter and mashed bananas). Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, then add in the chocolate chips (and peanuts, if you are adding them). Preheat your oven to 350 deg F.

2. Next, line a 9x13 inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the granola bar mixture onto it, and pat it down with your hands to form an even rectangle, leaving about an inch border around the edges of the pan.

3. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes (I only baked them for 15 minutes to make sure they wouldn't get crumbly, but bake for longer if the center is not baked through), until the edges begin to brown slightly. Take out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars using a sharp knife. Make sure you cut the bars while they are still warm, this way they won't crumble. Store in an air tight container for up to four days.

MY OTHER GRANOLA BAR RECIPES:

Coconut, Chocolate and Almond Granola Bars - Click Here

Crunchy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Granola Bars - Click Here

Raisin and Peanut Granola Bars - Click Here

Happy Baking, Everyone!

I will be linking to:

Mangia Mondays at Delightfully Dowling, Makin' You Crave Mondays, Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Cozy Home Scenes, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Bubbly Nature Creations, Tatertots and Jello and Six Sisters' Stuff.