Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Chunk Bars (gluten-free)
A sweet treat, these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Chunk Bars are the perfect gluten-free dessert to serve to friends and family. Made with gluten-free oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, coconut shreds, and sunflower seeds, they are soft and chewy with just a little crunch.
Updated post. Originally published on June 20, 2018.
Soft and chewy with a little crunch
Oh, you are going to love these bars! They are so soft and chewy, have the perfect sweetness, and just a little crunch. They’re soft and chewy from the banana and peanut butter, sweet from the chocolate chips, and a little crunchy from the sunflower seeds and coconut shreds. So much goodness and scrumptious chewy deliciousness all in one bar.
A scrumptious dessert that’s also gluten-free
If you think being gluten-free is not delicious, think again! I strive to create delicious gluten-free and dairy-free desserts that you’ll love and want to make again and again. My sure-tell way of making sure my desserts (and all the recipes) are delicious and don’t even taste like the stereotype gluten-free foods, I test them on my family and friends. Friends and family that do not normally eat gluten-free try my recipes and they love them! When they pass the taste-test from friends and family, I know I can share them here and you’ll love them too!
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Ingredients:
Banana – a mashed banana gives sweetness and helps hold the bars together
Ground flaxseeds – also called flax meal, I use this one
Water – mixed with the flax meal this creates a flax ‘egg’
Sunflower seed butter – this is my favorite, but you can substitute any butter of choice, peanut butter, almond butter, etc
Honey – just a little honey for sweetness, this is my favorite
Baking powder –
Sea salt – this is my favorite sea salt for its taste
Gluten-free rolled oats – this recipe works great with either rolled oats or quick-cook oats
Chocolate chips – dairy-free chocolate chips like these are my favorite
Unsweetened coconut shreds – adds great texture and healthy fat. I like this one
Raw sunflower seeds – gives that bit of crunch we all love! This one is a favorite
How to make them
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Set it aside.
In a small bowl combine the flax meal and water. Stir then set aside to let thicken.
In a mixing bowl mash the banana. Add the flax egg, sunflower seed butter (or butter of choice), and honey. Stir together.
Add the gluten-free rolled oats, baking powder, and sea salt. Stir well. Add the chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, and coconut shreds and fold into the batter.
Evenly spread the batter into the prepared 8×8 baking dish. Add the toppings. Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Let cool before cutting into 9 even bars.
Make them ahead and eat dessert for days
These chewy oatmeal chocolate chip bars are an ideal dessert to make ahead of time and enjoy for the week. They may not last all week, they’re so yummy, but I’m sure you’ll give it a good try! Choose a slow evening (or MAKE the time during your busy day) to make a batch of these oatmeal bars. After they’ve cooled, cut them evenly into 9 bars, wrap them individually or place them all in an airtight container. When you need an after-dinner treat, you’ll have them ready!
How to make these bars budget-friendly (not certified GF + nut-free)
These chewy chocolate oatmeal bars are definitely allergy-friendly with being gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. But not everyone needs them to be allergy-friendly. So as I break down the cost per ingredient, I will give two different options. Option number one will be exactly what the recipe calls for and option number two is going to have two changes. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly dessert option, you’ll want to go with option number two! I’ll break it down for you.
Banana: $0.15
Flax meal: $0.09
Honey: $$0.32
Dairy-free chocolate chips: $2.34
Coconut shreds: $0.97
Sunflower seeds: $0.76
Gluten-free oats: $1.55
Regular oats: $0.69
Sunflower seed butter: $2.15
Creamy peanut butter: $0.50
Option 1: Total cost of bars (follows the recipe) $8.33; $0.93 per serving
Option 2: Total cost of bars (swapping in regular oats and peanut butter) $5.82; $0.65 per serving
It’s amazing how you can shave off a few dollars with just two simple swaps. Both options are great and taste amazing. If you don’t need to use gluten-free oats or a nut-free butter, feel free to swap them out for a more budget-friendly creamy peanut butter and regular oats.
- 1 medium banana, mashed
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds or flax meal
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2/3 cup sunflower seed butter, or nut-butter or choice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut shreds
- 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut shreds
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
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In a small bowl combine the flax meal and warm water. Stir then set aside to thicken.
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In a mixing bowl mash the banana, add the flax egg, sunflower seed butter, and honey. Stir until creamy.
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Add the gluten-free rolled oats, baking powder, and sea salt. Stir together. Add the chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut shreds, and raw sunflower seeds. Fold into the batter.
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Evenly spread the batter into the prepared 8×8 baking dish. Evenly sprinkle the toppings on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into 9 bars.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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