Slow Cooker Whole Wheat Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars

Some weeks we just don't bring our A-game with banana consumption.  And then we join the ranks of all the people with browning bananas looking for baking recipes that will turn that mushiness into something glorious.  We're trying to eat more oats these days, so the latest "banana recipe" Google search led us to  
Slow Cooker Whole Wheat Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars.
(directly copying and pasting recipe below in case the link ever vanishes; full recipe credit to https://happyfoodhealthylife.com)

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Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mash bananas with the back of a fork until mostly smooth. Add applesauce, vanilla, and almond milk (or other milk of choice). Combine completely.
2. Add flour, oats, baking powder, and salt, stirring until just combined.
3. To prep your slow-cooker, spray with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper, or use slow-cooker liners to prevent the bars from sticking to your slow-cooker.
4. Pour batter into slow cooker and top with chocolate chips. Cover, and cook on low for 2 hours, or until edges are slightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
5. Turn slow-cooker off and let cool. Once it's mostly cooled, if you've used parchment paper or a liner, you can easily pull the bars out and carefully onto a cooling rack.
6. When the loaf is completely cooled, you can cut them into bars.
   
   

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As you can see, the recipe is extremely easy to follow.  Everything mixes up in a matter of minutes...

and pours smoothly into the slow cooker.  DJ is not as big a fan of chocolate as Mel, so here is a visual representation of marital compromise.  

Our baking endeavors with the slow cooker have been pretty hit-or-miss, but this recipe turned out great!  We particularly appreciate that there's no added sugar aside from the chocolate chip topping (we skipped the cinnamon drizzle option), and all the ingredients are healthy and natural.

And should one choose the side with chocolate chip topping (ahem - Mel), the chips add a pretty perfect bit of sweetness to make this a treat that would satisfy a craving without too much guilt.
 

Mel's also guessing that a smear of peanut butter after being lightly toasted would send these bars zooming to the next level of goodness.  Counting this recipe as a win for anytime we need to make the most of some bananas!