I will admit that I’ve been putting off this post for quite some time, for what is admittedly a pretty silly reason. The long story details a history of carelessness and losing various important items over the years (ranging from mama’s diamond engagement earring set to my all-time favourite sweater). The short story is that I misplaced the memory card on which my fancy, not-so-professional DSLR photos of this recipe were taken.
A moment of silence please for the black and blue Sony SD card. Wherever you are, I hope you are at peace.
And now, on to more important matters – this delightful recipe.
While I enjoy any vegan baked good (they are hard to come by, unless made by myself, so I indulge whenever I can) – I always prefer my muffins, cupcakes, bars and cookies on the healthier side. Note I said healthiER because I fully acknowledge that a baked good is more often than not a sweet treat and not everything has to be doused in kale. These bars are just that.
Moist, delicately sweetened and full to the brim with rich coconut and banana flavours, speckled with a hint of chocolate. Have I mentioned they’re gluten-free, too?
Gluten Free Coconut Banana Bars
- 1/4 cup organic coconut oil
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (you can use xylitol if you’re aiming for sugar-free)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 3/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- 1/2 cup certified GF oats
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
For the topping
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp oats
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 F/176 C and lightly grease a square pan (I believe I used a 9×9)
- In a large bowl (or food processor) mash the bananas and mix with the coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and applesauce until well combined.
- In another bowl combine flour, oats, salt and baking powder then add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Add in the dried coconut and chocolate chips then pour the batter into the pre-oiled pan.
- Combine the topping ingredients together and crumble using your fingers, then sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a knife/toothpic comes out clean. Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
If you’re skeptical about these, now would be the right time to mention I took these to a barbeque last month where they were given the omnivorous seal of approval and not a single one was left.
Now how’s that for an indulgent yet wholesome baked good?
Not too shabby, if I do say so myself (even with the iPhone grade photography)!
i could see myself eating several of these in a sitting!!
I make these very often, but with a much simpler recipe. All you need to do is mash some bananas, mix them with oats and bake them. No blender needed, you can just mix all by hand. Of course you can add coconut and chocolate pieces. I sometimes also add flax seed and different herbs or spices.