Whenever people ask me to choose a favorite recipe of mine, I have ZERO issue saying that it’s this one. These chocolate churro breakfast bars are hands-down my favorite, mostly for the ease, the simple ingredients, and the almost-magic of the recipe.
And when I say magic, it’s because when you put these in the oven, you’ll definitely think “ok there is no way these are going to work” but then they surprise me. every. dang. time. They taste like dessert yet they have healthy ingredients, keep you full and can be easily made gluten-free.
Also c’mon, who doesn’t love churros? The cinnamon-sugar on top of these transports me straight back to any theme park vacation, it’s the perfect way to “get-away” in a snack, even if it’s just for a few seconds!
Read on for the recipe, tips for storage, as well as any substitutions that may work.
Table of contents
Why you should make these churro bars
They’re made with simple, wholesome ingredients you can grab at any grocery store (no niche health store side quests), come together in one bowl, and bake up in basically no time. They taste like a cinnamon-sugar dessert moment, but they’re built with ingredients that actually keep you full, so it’s giving treat meets sustenance. And if you use gluten-free oats, this recipe is fully gluten free.
Ingredients you’ll need for these chocolate churro breakfast bars
- 1/2 cup (130g) creamy raw almond butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (140g) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) old fashioned oats, blended into oat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons (30g) chocolate, for topping
- 1 1/2 teaspoons turbinado sugar, for topping
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, for topping
Ingredient substitutions
This recipe is really customizable! Here are some substitution suggestions:
- Almond butter: This can be swapped for peanut butter (or any nut or seed butter), but it will have a more pronounced taste.
- Maple syrup: Can be swapped for honey, but it will result in a different flavor.
- Old fashioned oats: If needed, swap for gluten-free old fashioned oats to easily make this recipe gluten-free.
- Turbinado sugar: Can be swapped for granulated sugar, brown sugar or a mix of both.
Alternative add-ins and toppings
The churro breakfast bars don’t have to have chocolate, here are some alternate add-ins and toppings suggestions:
For add-ins, I recommend dried cherries, raisins, pecans, walnuts, seeds or shredded coconut.
For toppings, I recommend white chocolate, toasted pecans, or coconut flakes!
How to prep the batter ahead of time
If you’d like to prepare these the night or day before, you can absolutely make the batter ahead of time. Simply make the batter, pour it into the prepared loaf pan and keep at room temperature for up to 12 hours. Then bake as instructed when you’re ready.
However, I do think these taste best when fully baked and stored either at room temp or in the fridge.
Why is this recipe in grams?
Grams is always my preference for baking, and I hope it will be yours, too. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, not volume. One cup of flour can weigh all the way from 120 grams to 160 grams, depending on how it was packed. This ends up causing some volatility and miss-matched results.
I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this particular recipe.
Storage tips
Here’s the best way to store these bars, based on each method:
Room temperature: Store covered for up to 5 days.
Fridge: This will last covered or in airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Freezer: I like to slice it into 8 pieces with a serrated knife and store in the freezer in a freezer-safe container or bag. Reheat individual bars as needed.
Looking for similar recipes?
Brown Butter Banana Bread
Cacao Almond Butter Overnight Oats
Healthy Hot Chocolate Oatmeal
And that’s it for these Chocolate Churro Breakfast Bars!
If you make them, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
You can also shop this video if you’re looking for the exact pieces I use – I’ve linked everything on my ShopMy! *some links may contain affiliate commissions
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
- whisk
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (130g) cup creamy raw almond butter, or peanut butter but it will have a more pronounced taste
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (140g) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) old fashioned oats, blended into oat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons (30g) tablespoons chocolate, for topping
- 1 1/2 teaspoons turbinado sugar, for topping
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F convection (if using a standard oven, still use 350°F, 325°F will be too low).
- In large mixing bowl, whisk together 130 grams of almond butter, 1 egg, 140 grams of maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
- Add in 120 grams of oat flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix until you have a smooth batter.
- Line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, pour in the batter and smooth it out. Break up 30 grams of chocolate and dot the pieces over the top.
- For the cinnamon sugar topping, mix together 1 1/2 teaspoons of turbinado sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle it evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. Allow to cool then enjoy!
Notes
Old Version
Below is the original recipe that was first developed in 2021. For the updated recipe, please see the above.
Makes 16 servings
Total cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 (120g) cup rolled oats, blended into oat flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup creamy raw almond butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the cinnamon sugar topping
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 cup (220g) oat flour, a pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup almond butter, egg, 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient, mixing until just combined.
- Pour the batter into an 8×8 parchment-lined baking dish.
- For the cinnamon sugar topping, mix together 3 teaspoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon then sprinkle on top of the batter.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. Allow to cool then enjoy!
Comments
So…. I knew this was supposed to be in a loaf pan but I forgot for no good reason, and baked the batter in a 9×9 glass Pyrex (it still took 20min to bake, as the recipe said). Another deviation was semi sweet choccy chips, because that’s what I had on hand. Tasty!!!!
I’m so so glad you liked them and that they worked in the 9×9-inch dish!
Made this, left the house, came back an hour later, and my family had already eaten 3/4 of it. Very low effort to reward ratio
OMG I’m so glad everyone loved it! Hopefully they saved you a piece (or two). Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review <3
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