These are soft, simple, but delicious, bars made with yummy ingredients.  They're always a big hit when I make them for my friends and bring them to school.

Banana Wake-Up Bars

peanut butter

brown sugar

butter

vanilla extract

banana,

oats

all-purpose flour

wheat germ

baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9-inch baking pan.


In a mixing bowl, beat together the peanut butter, brown sugar, and butter with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then the banana. Stir in the oats, flour, wheat germ, and baking soda until completely combined. Spread in prepared baking pan.


Bake in the preheated oven until set and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack before cutting into bars.


simple, cheap, healthy, tasty! i soaked the oats for a couple hours in warm water beforehand, because the first time i made this, the oats were still somewhat dry/uncooked. i also added some dried berries i had in the pantry (raisins, blueberries, cranberries) they really made a difference. without the dried fruit, i'd imagine this to be a bit bland. also replaced the butter with applesauce. much more moist. and i didn't have wheat germ so i left that out.

I made these, but used applesauce (one of the cups that you can buy for lunches which was almost 1/2 cup)  everything else was as stated on the recipe.  Wonderful Bars.  They smelled good while baking.  I ate 2 while still warm and put the others away for the next day.  They were even better the next day than the first day.  Next time I think I will add either some sliced Almonds or some raisins.  This recipe is a KEEPER!

I took others advice and added raisins.  This made ALL the difference!  It is a very plain breakfast bar, and needs a little something.  I will use this recipe again because it was so easy and quick.

Really good, easy recipe, but not a whole lot of flavor. On the second batch I made, I toasted the rolled oats in the oven for about five minutes and added walnuts and a little nutmeg.

Love this! I was looking for something lower in sugar and full of nutrients and this fits the bill and is SOO tasty and moist. I like to make them as muffins because it's the perfect serving size (these freeze great and take seconds to thaw - an no-fuss, healthy snack!) I did make the following adjustments: 1 tsp. vanilla, whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon flax seeds. Makes approx 9-10 muffins. Bake for 15 minutes in a greased, non-stick muffin tin. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

These turned out better than I expected! Like a hybrid of banana bread, peanut butter cookies and oatmeal cookies. I used a heaping 1/3c. peanut butter; crunchy-style gave it nice texture. I also added 1Tbl. honey and used whole wheat flour instead of white.

I give this three stars, because I thought it would be more like a 'bar' less like a banana 'cake' or 'bread' type texture.  The taste is powerfully banana and peanutbuttery, mine doesn't look anything like the 4th photo, but more like the 1st and 2nd.  I have one daughter who loves this, my other daughter, husband and I, think it's "just ok".  Not good or bad, but not something I think we'd eat the whole pan, without the help of my other daughter.  50/50.  Oh and I made it exactly as recipe states.

I made them exactly to recipe, and I think they're great. Also, they were very easy to prepare.

Very simple and tasty.  More cake-like than bar-like.  I used chunky peanut butter, whole wheat flour and added a little cinnamon.

I was pleasantly surprised by these.  They had a great flavor.  My complaint was that they didn't keep very well at all.

pretty good, although the kids didn't go for it.

These were pretty good. I made them with half br.sugar and half splenda, applesauce instead of butter and granola cereal instead of oatmeal. Will probably add more peanut butter and another banana the next time.

I loved this recipe and my 7 year old did as well... although I added some fresh blueberries that I had frozen so they would keep... so with every bite you got an extra little suprise!! AMAZING BARS!!!

I loved them. My niece (8) refused to take more than a bite even though I added chocolate chips. She at least had fun helping me make them.

I made these gluten and dairy free!!  And they turned out awesome!  I just ground up some oats in my food processor until they were the texture of flour.  And I used Smart Balance instead of butter. And flax meal instead of wheat germ. I left the rest of the recipe the same -- except I did add more bananas (I used 3) because I needed to get rid of them. I also made them in  muffin tins just so they would be smaller portions to freeze!  Ok - so I did modify it alot - but still an Awesome recipe! Thanks!

Pretty good... not a whole lot of flavor, so next time I think I'll add a few chocolate chips. Also, they went away fast (too fast!!) so I'd suggest doubling the recipe if you're serving more people than yourself. Overall, quite yummy!

I had one very ripe banana, so I decided to use this recipe as inspiration. As suggested in other reviews, I used applesauce instead of margarine, whole wheat flour and a bit of cinnamon. I have a favorite "healthy cookie" recipe that starts with a package cookie mix and adds TONS of other things. I did that with these bars. . . I added additional oatmeal, raisins, craisins, coconut and toffee bits. Baked it for 25 minutes in an 8x8" pan. My neighbor and I loved them.  The texture is more like a snack cake than a granola bar. I ate mine with my hands with no problems :)

7/23/13 - Ohmigoodness! Inspired by the thought of a banana split, tweaked this recipe today as follows: subbed 3 T. applesauce for margarine, added 1 small can crushed pineapple (drained) and a small handful of chopped maraschino cherries with mashed banana. Added a small handful of coconut, half a bag of Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet baking chocolate chips and some cocoa (eyeballed it). Used mini loaf pans (filled 1/3 full) and baked 25 minutes. EXCELLENT!

2/4/14 - Made these Paleo for my daughter by substituting honey for brown sugar, gluten-free granola instead of oatmeal and almond meal/flour instead of wheat flour. Added raisins, craisins and coconut. Good!

These are so good.  The only change I made was to use ground flax seed instead of wheat germ.  I like that they are low in sugar.  I will make these often.

Made these today and they are delicious. I used apple sauce instead of butter to cut down on the fat and calories. I also added cinnamon to the mix.  MMMMMM they are so good :)

Yummy!  I put in half the amount of sugar and thought they were still too, sweet.  It could have been the bananas.  I added about 2 TBS of Nutella along with the peanut butter and instead of the germ, used pulverized mixed nuts.  I also added dates, raisins and cranberries.  Just delicious!  I will make them again, for sure!

I added dried cranberries and cashews (we like a little texture with our food) and my husband and I thought they were delicious. Our 14 year daughter didn't care for them - next time I'll substitute the apple sauce for the bananas and see what she thinks.

These are the perfect treat and pick me up for after my morning workout!

I used apple sauce instead of butter, whole wheat flour, accidentally used white sugar instead of brown, and I didn't have wheat germ. I added walnuts, some cinnamon, and craisins and baked as muffins. It is a bit cake-y, but still moist from the apple sauce. I will make these again (with brown sugar)!

3.5 stars. Not bad.  Tastes like banana bread with a twist of peanut butter cookie.  Maybe not as flavorful, but I do like that it's much healthier.  Since others mentioned that it's fairly bland, I added dried cranberries and some nutmeg.  I also used flax seed instead of wheat germ (better for you!)  I'll be curious to see if my kids like them in the morning. :)

I just did not like these. Made exactly as is- I thought they were too soft and very bland

Added walnuts, used applesauce and a smidge of butter, hoping they will firm up in the fridge :)

I think I've totally changed it since I used baby food instead of butter, added coconut, almonds, cinnamon, blueberries and flax meal but I really loved it!! So did my 13 month old son since it's pretty chewy. Yum!

Awesome after adding a second banana and a 1/3 cup of chocolate chips with the flour. Love it!

Great recipe, although I find I need to tweak it to make it my own.  Didn't have wheat germ, but the oats were enough.  Also added unsweetened coconut, pecans, craisins and honey.  Even though I left the brown sugar in the recipe,  I used only 2 tablespoons of honey.  Turned out great!  And my picky husband loved it and said it was not too sweet.  Next time I may add nutmeg just to see how that works.  But this recipe is a keeper!

These were good but I wished there was more banana flavor in these.  They were heavy on the peanut butter taste.I took them to work and microwaved them for 15 seconds before eating.  These are cake-like bars.

The flavor was ok but the texture was the downfall. It tasted like part of a recipe.

Made these for breakfast this morning and they taste great!  I love the peanut butter with the banana.  The only thing I changed was subbing coconut oil for the butter, added some almond extract and 1/4 tsp. salt. to the batter.  I only wish I would have doubled the recipe!

I didn't have wheat germ so I added a bit more oats.  They were moist and yummy!

Excellent! I didn't change a thing, and these turned out beautifully!  Perfect light snack or breakfast.

They taste good, but not amazing. They’re definitely not very flavorful and not like a bar, more like cake as one other reviewer pointed out. I didn’t dislike them, but I was hoping for more banana taste. I would have named them Peanut Butter Breakfast cake or something. Next time, I’m adding an extra banana for a moister, denser, more banana-y taste.

Love these, I've only ever made them once with a banana, and the kids liked them but asked me not to use the bananas again so I only use applesauce from now on. They make a great breakfast early in the morning or a great afternoon snack.

as far as ingredients go..it was really easy...i had everything on hand.  i even took some of the others' suggestions &amp; added raisins..etc.. i'm sorry didn't like this @ all...mine turned out crumbly..burnt on top &amp; middle wasn't done (ok maybe an oven prob.) had 2 cover &amp; return to oven. i did follow the recipe...w/ a few tweeks...not making this agin

Considering how healthy the ingredients are, this recipe is delicious!!!  Even NOT considering, really.  Most of all, my kids really love them and think it is a "special treat"!

Good recipe. I thought it was a bit flavorless and the oats didn't cook completely. I used flax seed instead since that is what I had, otherwise kept every as per the recipe. If I make this again I will add some cinnamon and nutmeg and do as others recommended, soak or toast the oats.

Not very good, dry and bland. Won't make again.

Super good and so easy to make.  As one reviewer suggested, I added some raisins and coconut. I also added almond butter and put in less peanut butter. Hubby is not fond of peanut butter in baking but loved these.

I am torn about rating this only 4 stars.  The flavor was lovely, a nice balance of banana and brown sugar, and the bar moist to bite into.  The only problem is the dry feeling in the mouth from the oats.  I was making these for my teenage son to grab on his way to school (since he is always late), but you definitely need to have a drink available to eat these.  I did sub sunflower butter for peanut butter because of a peanut allergy.  I will be making these again and see an endless array of options. I made this batch half as directed and the other half I sprinkled mini dark chocolate chips on top.  You should definitely add them sparingly as to not overpower the banana flavor.  You could also sprinkle nuts or shredded coconut.  For Fall, I will try subbing the banana with pumpkin puree and use pumpkin pie spice.  Another idea is to sub applesauce for the banana and add apple pie spice.  The variations are endless.  Thanks for the inspirational recipe.

Very yummy, and healthy. Mine were more like bars than cake (which is what I wanted).

Really good and easy.  A really good way to use up bananas and I had all ingredients on hand.  Next time I will add nuts or chocolate chips.

Kids loved it, used exact measurements subbing apple sauce for butter, soaked oats 10 mins, super fluffy and mostly healthy

Really enjoyed this. Added pecans, and could have used an extra banana. Overall, quite good. Great with milk! Enjoy this easy to make breakfast bar!

It was simple to follow and quick. I also added craisins.

super easy to make and I didn't change a thing except used whole grain white flour and flax seed instead of the wheat germ... THESE ARE DELICIOUS!!

This was amazing!  I doubled everything for our large family and cooked it in an11X14 pan for 30 min. And it was perfect.  This will be an easy staple breakfast for us!  I followed other reviewers suggestions and made mine with 3 large bananas, 1 C. Crunchy peanut butter, and added 1 1/3 cup raisins.

Made recipe as it is but added raisins.  Raisins added a great flavor.

I make this at work and the residents love it!

I should have read the reviews on this. I was expecting more of a dense breakfast bar. This sort of reminded me of a muffin in a bar shape. My only changes were doubling the recipe and baking in a rectangle pan, using half whole wheat, using wheat bran instead of germ, and adding a pinch of salt. Its fine as a different shaped muffin with coffee. Its also not very sweet, almost bland, and I think most things with sugar are too sweet. The main photo is beautiful, but looks more like a peanut butter cookie bar dense, buttery, and sugary. Mine looked more like the photo posted by the submitter of the recipe. Since I doubled the recipe I may search the site for some type of a glaze, since this is kind of like a very unsweet cake.

I used quick oats instead of rolled- not sure what the difference is. I also used flax seed instead of wheat germ. Really good. Cake texture, crumbly as finger food but not terribly. Tastes delicious!

Bland (even with adding raisins) and didn't enjoy texture. Like a mufffin with hard pieces of oat here and there.

I like your substitutions at bottom of this recipe.

UPDATE!! i TRIED ONE A COUPLE HOURS LATER AND LIKED THEM ALOT BETTER!! NOT AS GOOD STILL WARM LET THEM SIT AWHILE!! VERY GOOD!!Im always looking for healthy snacks or something healthy and quick for breakfast so i thought id give this recipe a try!! Eh i certainly wasnt blown away by them they were very easy to throw together i did sub apple sauce for the butter next time i will add a bit more peanut butter couldnt really taste it and add some nuts fora little crunch over all this recipe is ok at best iv defiently had worse...lol  i will try them again with my modifications and see how they taste!!

This recipes is really great. At first I just want to make something healthy and because this recipe has banana, oat and just a little butter so I think I have to try. But I was very happy with the result that I make it over and over again.

I make these often. They are perfect for on the run breakfast or snack. I do substitute applesauce for the butter.

I was looking for a good breakfast bar that wasn't too sugary for a picky toddler and 13 month. I liked that this had so many hunger holding ingredients. Even many of the healthier boxed cereals have a lot of sugar, so I didn't mind this having a little. My 2 1/2 year old helped me make these, and they were a hit. I was out of wheat germ, so I omitted it. Also, I used wheat flour instead. They were good. Mine were a little crumbly from the wheat flour, so next time I'll add a little veg. oil, honey or more fruit. I made this batch with banana, and it definitely has a strong banana flavor that competes with the peanut butter flavor. I'd say the banana flavor was equal to the peanut butter flavor. I expected them to have a stronger peanut butter flavor. I also expected it to be more sticky or chewy, like a bar, than like a bread or muffin. Even still, I liked it and hope to make them again soon with applesauce. I did add a little nutmeg and cinnamon, because the flavor is more like a cliff bar where its very subtle but not flavor packed. I wouldn't serve this for dessert, but they're great for breakfast with coffee or milk for the little ones. I think its an easy recipe to adjust to your taste buds.

I made these exactly how the recipe described and they were great. They don't look anything like the picture and do not even closely resemble a granola bar, I thought they would. They are fluffy like cake.

TOO COMPLICATED.   eat a banana or buy banana bread     sorry

With such good reviews, I had high hopes for this, but we found it terribly dry. If you eat it with a cup of milk or coffee, you can get it down, but alone, it's hard to eat. I did use whole wheat flour, and also added both raisins and craisins - which are needed for flavor.

20-25 minutes is not enough time- had to double it to almost 1 hour.

My wife who LOVES peanut butter and bananas found them to be  just "okay"

Don't think that we will be making these too many times

Made it with honey peanut butter and Splenda brown sugar substitute.  Needs more liquid, the flavor was good, however they are too dry for my taste!

These are pretty good. I like that they aren't overly sweet. My only complaint is that I felt they were a little dry and crumbly. Next time I will soak the oats in warm water first. The only change I made was adding pecans.

yes i added unsweetened flaked coconut and some choc. chips. YUMMM

Yes! I had some left over bananas that I wanted to add to a granola bar for the boys. I read all the reviews, here's what I tweaked: I tripled the recipe, I added another cup of oats, another cup of flour, a tsp of cinnamon and used banana extract instead of vanilla. I added both flax and wheat germ. My husband ate it by the forkful before I could even cut it up into bars. I think the only other thing I will add will be a tiny drizzle of almond bark on top.

As is, it is a bit bland. I changed it up to my liking by: doubled for 9 x 13 pan, used 1/2 crunchy and 1/2 smooth p. butter, added chocolate chips and chopped pecans, subbed 3 Tblsp butter for the applesauce, subbed ground flax seed for wheat germ (that's what I had on hand), used Quick cooking oats (that could be the reason why some reviews mention the oats didn't seem cooked if they're using Old Fashioned or whole oats). I always keep frozen bananas in the freezer so I can be ready to make a banana-whatever...whenever. I like this recipe because it is relatively low in sugar and fat, and you can't beat p. butter and chocolate.

I made these exactly as directed, except for the wheat germ. They tasted very good, but really were not able to be picked up and eaten as bars that easily. I found them to crumble a bit.

I made these as muffins (9-10) in the toaster oven to avoid adding the heat of the oven to the house!  I made essentially as is but didn't have wheat germ so added ground ancient grains.  I used natural peanut butter and also went with whole wheat flour, and added some ground nuts and cinnamon.  I still found it a tad bland, so next time I will try adding chopped dates.

Made these bars this morning. Hubby &amp; I both liked them but need a little more flavor. I did sub milled flax seed for the wheat germ because that is what I had on hand. All other ingredients were the same. Next time I will add more vanilla extract &amp; some other tasty spices.

Delicious! My husband and I have them as a mid-morning snack. Very satisfying . I bake them in a square muffin pan. And double the recipe??

Added walnuts and 2/3 cup quinoa to get some more protein for my morning break. Some walnuts on top too.

banana wake-up bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total: 1 hours

Servings: 5

Author : cookie_monster

Ingredients

Instructions

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banana wake-up bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total: 1 hours

Servings: 5

Author : cookie_monster

Ingredients

Instructions

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