Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars (Refined Sugar Free)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars (moist, rich, and naturally sweetened)

if you love chocolate chip cookies and banana bread, these bars are the answer to wanting both at once. they're gluten free and refined sugar free, but you'd never guess from the taste. they come out moist with that soft banana bread crumb and pockets of melted chocolate running through every bite, closer to a brownie in density than an actual loaf of bread.

this is one of my favourite bakes i've developed, and it started because i had a few overripe bananas on the counter and didn't want to make the same loaf again. the riper the bananas, the sweeter the bars end up and the more that classic banana bread flavour comes through. go for the ones that are heavily spotted or almost black, the pale yellow ones won't give you the same result.

i use olive oil instead of butter here, and if you've never baked with it before, trust me on this one. it keeps the bars moist for longer than butter would and adds a depth of flavour you can't quite place, without tasting like olive oil once it's baked. it's also what keeps these dairy free, and it comes with real nutritional upside too, olive oil is rich in polyphenols and monounsaturated fats, both linked to anti-inflammatory and heart health benefits that butter just doesn't offer.

as someone who pretty much only develops gluten free bakes without using a 1:1 gluten free flour blend, i know there's usually a massive texture trade off when you use a gluten free flour from a single source, just almond flour, or just oat flour, or just rice flour! what makes these chocolate chip banana bread bars so good is that the texture is perfection, and that comes down to using both oat flour and almond flour in the right ratios. there's also a real nutritional benefit to combining both flours, they complement each other in fibre, blood sugar support, and they're both nutrient dense on their own!

coconut sugar is the ideal sweetener for this recipe. it works so well with the banana and chocolate combination, providing just the right touch of sweetness and a caramel depth that deepens the flavours. it also has a lower glycemic index than regular white sugar, so the sweetness feels a bit steadier rather than a straight hit.

for the chocolate, i just use chips and chunks, whatever i have in the cupboard, dark or semi-sweet both work. measure them with your heart is not just something to say, i eyeball it every time depending on how chocolatey i'm feeling that day. more on top before baking means more gooey melted pockets once they're out of the oven.

let these cool completely in the tin before you slice them. i know the smell makes that hard, but they firm up as they cool, and slicing them warm just gets you a crumbly mess instead of clean squares.

they keep well too. room temperature in an airtight container for a couple of days, up to 4 days in the fridge, or slice and freeze for up to two months. pull one out whenever ur craving hits and just let it thaw at room temperature or in the oven at a very low temp until warm, for that freshly baked banana bread vibe!

if you're after another gluten free bake that leans indulgent, my brownie cookies or white chocolate brownies are both worth trying next.