DH likes these "energy bars". I think that they are better than the packaged kind ... but that's kind of a low bar. Anyway, I bought a cheapo bag of battered bananas at the grocery store this afternoon. If I make a double batch, will the second pan freeze well? Alternatively, would it be possible to mash the extra bananas and store the pulp in the freezer?

Wholesome Banana Chocolate Breakfast Bars

- 200 grams (2 cups) rolled oats or mixed rolled grains

- 60 grams (2/3 cup) ground almonds, a.k.a. almond meal

- 30 grams (1/3 cup) dried, unsweetened grated coconut

- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

- 120 grams (4 1/4 ounces) good-quality bittersweet chocolate

- 4 very ripe, medium bananas, about 400 grams (14 ounces) when peeled (I use 3. European bananas are apparently smaller than American bananas -- I can see the Europeans rolling their eyes right now - JB)

- 1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

- 60 ml (1/4 cup) whole almond (or peanut - JB) butter (substitute olive oil, or slightly warmed coconut oil)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a medium baking dish with vegetable oil.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, ground almonds, coconut, and salt. Set aside. Chop the chocolate so the largest pieces are about the size of a chocolate chip. Set aside.

In another medium mixing bowl, combine the bananas, vanilla, and almond butter, and mash thoroughly using a potato masher. Add the oats mixture and mix well. Fold the chocolate in gently.

Pour into the prepared baking dish, level the surface, and slip into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes (this isn't enough in my oven - JB), until the top is set and golden-brown. Let cool completely before slicing into bars. If you're not serving all the bars at once, I suggest you cut out only what you need. Cover the rest with foil and keep at room temperature.

The sad part about this recipe is that the first time I read it, I was looking at some overripe bananas. So my first thought was whether I had enough almonds to make almond meal. I didn't have to think about whether I had enough dark chocolate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chocolate and Zucchini