Wow, these look superb. I'm always on the lookout for healthful vegan sweets and these fit the bill!

I recall seeing Nikki's cookies, too, but didn't think much about them. Your adaptation, however, features things I actually have in my kitchen, and a different ratio that may work better for me. I'm also thrilled about the everything-free nature of the recipe, since I've been having to eat that way recently. It is so very difficult to find baked goods that are gluten/flour-free, dairy-free AND sugar-free. While I know this recipe does have some sugar content, I'll happily fool myself that it's not too bad because there's no added sugar. ;)

I tried the original recipe (aside from the coconut oil which I can't find around here) and thought the same - too much chocolate. But they vanished regardless. I've been thinking of trying it with raisins, as a healthier alternative to the classic oatmeal raisin cookies you find on the Quaker Oats box

I'm already in love with these bars without even tasting yet! haha To combo is superb and very healthy (also love your gluten free twist to it :D ) I'm adding these to my to-make list very soon.

P.S- I purposely over-ripen bananas too ;)

Hmmm, I don't care for grated coconut...think I should substitute something else, or just leave it out altogether?

Love the fact you used almond butter, one of my favorite items in the kitchen. Too often vegan/vegetarian snacks get packed with the wrong carbs. Good job using natural, unprocessed sugar and plenty of fiber-packed ingredients like the oats and almond meal.

Greetings from California! The combo of bananas & chocolate is what I've been hankering for...yum. Wondering if good ol' Trader Joe's almond butter will do the trick?

oooh - yummy. I'll have to give these a try.

I'm confused why you omitted the baking powder. You referenced the lack of gluten in the recipe, but baking powder doesn't need gluten to produce carbon dioxide, just water. Or was there some other reason?

I've made something very similar; mine use peanut butter instead of almond butter. And a bit of honey to help sweeten it instead of chocolate - the only chocolate I like isn't sweet enough!

UK people can buy coconut oil on the World Foods counter in Sainsbury's, or in specialist Caribbean shops. I use it to make soap with, not to eat!

Anything with the words banana AND chocolate (not to mention healthy!) are destined to be in my face!

These look so wonderful. I want to try using almond butter sometime. Could you use another nut butter as a sub as well?

These bars look really yummy! My son has a nut allergy though. Any substitute suggestions for the almond meal? Thanks!

I was just wondering today what to take to a potluck on Thursday. That's my problem solved, then!

these look fantastic! Anything that doesn't have sugar and uses almond butter (love almond butter) is good in my book. Can't wait to try them! And thanks for the healthy recipe - would like to see more of those on my favorite cooking sites. :)

I'll try these for my 14-year-old son,whose growing in leaps and bounds.

ooooh. Cookies for breakfast! Now I can get behind that!

Yum yum yum! I'm all about that combo :)

These look delicious. I've made a similar (nonvegan, with more protein) bar from Alton Brown's recipe, which called for peanut butter, but I subbed sunflower seed butter so it'd be nut-free, and it worked great. There's a brand called Sunbutter that I think is in a lot of US grocery stores, and I used the Trader Joe's version. Hope this helps!

Wow, I've made those cookies of Heidi's many times. They are my favorite and now I'm going to try these, too. Thanks!

This may seem off the wall, but is there any substitute possible for the banana?

Could you use apple or pear puree, or is the additional starchiness of the banana required?

Aha! Now I have a way to get rid of the almond butter that my husband doesn't like! Merci.

I have spotty brown bananas calling my name right now! I've been eyeing Heidi's recipe for these cookies ever since she posted it, but I like your modifications a lot too. I'll have to give it a try!

Yummy! May I ask where in Paris you can buy Almond Butter ...and while I have you ...buttermilk?

thanks again for your great blog and books! and will let you know when that corned meat is cooked!

What size is a medium baking dish? Square like a brownie pan? Or rectangular like a sheet cake? I'm hoping to make these asap. They look great!!!

These sound delicious (and I also read about Heidi's friend's cookies thinking the same thing). But one item holds me back: the coconut! Think it can be omitted entirely?

I'm always looking for unique breakfast ideas...and I always seem to have rotton bananas around. So these look perfect!!

This recipe is intriguing. I think I'll have to try it. I had no idea oats were gluten free...I was always told they were extremely glutenous.

My daughter loves clementines. Maybe this will be a new breakfast treat!

Thanks.

Leah

It's simply that I personally utterly loathe bananas. I'm not a picky eater. Other than bananas and durian, I will eat pretty much anything short of insects. I feel so jealous of people enjoying their banana breads and breakfast bars and pancakes, and their easy-peel fruit, but for me bananas simply evoke nausea. Yes, I'm weird.

Thanks for the tip on thickening the other fruit purees. I'm tempted to try this with pears.

Mmm... it sounds like a home-made version of those various energy bars I always keep around to snack on! I must give it a try-- thank you for the idea.

Hello Clotilde,
do you think it would be ok to use not so ripe bananas? I don't think I can wait for mine to go brown!

Thanks,
Sandra

I made Heidi's cookies a few weeks ago and really loved the flavour, but had trouble getting them to form a cookie shape--they didn't hold together very well. I like the idea of making them into bars AND of using almond butter to make them a bit richer and more protein rich. Thanks for the idea!

Oh no, look what you've done!

I have a few bananas I'm purposely ripening in the kitchen as we speak. I originally had them earmarked for a banana bread but now I'm torn!

What is a girl to do :D

wholesome + banana + chocolate. You really can't loose. Add to that coconut and you've got a really lovely snack. Actually, come to think of it, you could probably cut these up into "bar" form for a great gluten free, vegan breakfast bar on-the-go, yes?

Clotilde: great idea to make bars instead of cookies with this recipe. We love the recipe from Heidi's site.

Your explanation of gluten and leavening agents needs a little more investigation. Gluten free baking uses and requires leavening such as baking powder and/or baking soda. The almond flour and oats in the original recipe can and do hold the trapped gas from baking powder. I make other bars with only oats and oat flour and the leavening makes a difference. You may want to try it next time. Kristine

I made these (from the original recipe and found them a bit bland.
If you have a sweet tooth and don't have hugely ripe bananas to hand I would put in some honey agave or maple syrup. Bit of a waste to use all these nice ingrediants for such a blah flavour! Probably my cooking but hey if it helps anyone!

Hi Clothilde

Here in Australia where gluten-free standards are stricter than in Europe, coeliacs have been advised not to eat the so-called 'gluten free' oats, as many of us still seem to react to them.

They might be ok for people with different reactions - those who're allergic to wheat, for example. They contain a different peptide to the one found in wheat gluten, but apparently that can still be pretty disastrous for some of us.

This is a wonderful blog, btw. Your writing and recipes are sublime.

Hey this is great! Who says no one could have chocolates for breakfast? LOL

Hi Clotilde-

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction :) I'll definitely be sure to give that a try!

This recipe's so tempting that I wished I had a couple of overripe bananas in the house! I would think that by using almond instead of coconut oil you also created a healthier recipe.

These look amazing! Can't wait to try in my own kitchen. Thanks.

I'm really looking forward to trying these bars -- Merci!

My husband has celiac disease, so I'm always looking for new gluten-free recipes.

I wanted to write in response to the Australian comment. In Canada (where we live), our federal department of health, Health Canada, has said it's generally OK for celiacs to eat uncontaminated oats. (That means oats not contaminated by processing or growing next to a field of wheat.)

I know oats still might not work for every celiac -- like my very sensitive mother-in-law -- but we carefully tried uncontaminated oats. . .And my husband can eat them!

Needless to say, this has opened up many more baking possibilities for me! So I just wanted to encourage the celiacs out there to research and consider (very carefully) trying gluten-free oats . . .

Ok, so my kitchen isn't super-healthy: I used sweetened coconut and generic peanut butter instead of almond. They are yummy! I may seek out a non-vegan version because I think it will hold together a little better with an egg in the mix, but the flavor is a definitely a winner!

I had four overripe bananas on my counter earlier this week and was heading out to meet with my "blog consultant" Susan Getgood and decided to bring these treats to our meeting. Susan, my coauthor Liz and I all loved them! Thanks for another yummy option for using up those browning bananas.

Thank you Clothilde! There was an article about this in the latest magazine of the Australian Coeliac Cociety by our leading coeliac researcher, Dr Bob Anderson.

When they give GF oats the all-clear, I will stuff myself silly with porridge and oatcakes, and try this delicious sounding recipe.