Chewy Cherry Vanilla Bars

I’m sure by now you’re aware of the amazing 2 ingredient banana oat cookies:

1. Mash banana
2. Stir in oats
3. Bake
4. Insta-cookies!

Just another testament to the how perfect the banana is. I took this miraculous sugar-free, fat-free banana cookie concept in the bar direction…

Cherry and vanilla are such a beautiful combination, I don’t know why I don’t pair them up more often. The crispy brown rice cereal in these bars makes for a fun, unique texture, and the banana binds it all together. The banana is doing double duty in this recipe as the only sweetener too. These bars aren’t crispy like a classic rice crispy treat, but they do snap, crackle, and pop at you as you make them like any good rice crispy recipe should.

To hear them snapping, crackling, and popping, either make them yourself, or watch the video (and then still make them yourself).

Chewy Cherry Vanilla Bars

Makes 4 (but feel free to double it)

2 cups crispy rice cereal

2 ripe bananas

1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder (or extract)

1/4 cup dried cherries

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Puree the bananas.
3. Mix together the cereal, vanilla, and banana puree in a bowl.
4. Stir in the dried cherries.
5. Spread into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
7. Let them cool before cutting.

Snack on them warm from the oven, or try them chilled from the fridge.