Skinny Peanut Butter Banana Seven Layer Bars

As a little girl, I almost always asked my dad to make my peanut butter sandwiches. I wanted mine to be just like his: soft yet hearty whole wheat bread with an extremely thick layer of peanut butter slathered in between. Dad spread on so much peanut butter—close to ½” thick—that it nearly glued my mouth shut every time!  

Unlike the kids at school, I liked my peanut butter sandwiches plain. No jelly, no jam, just pure creamy peanut butter. As much as I adored strawberry jam in my thumbprint cookies, it turned my PB sandwiches soggy by the time the lunch bell rang, which resulted in a gloppy, sticky mess. Not fun!

However, other family members added different fillings besides jelly to their sandwiches. My younger brother chose honey after a classmate handed him a bite of their PB&H, and my grandma added potato chips to the middle of hers for a fun crunch. I actually tried that twist once when I thought nobody was watching, and I kind of liked it! Until a sharp wayward chip poked me in the gum…

Of course, the final classic that appeared on our kitchen counter every so often was the PB&B: a freshly sliced banana layered in the center on top of the peanut butter. I avoided that one for a while (what if it turned soggy like the jelly? it was fruit, after all!), but eventually I caved…

Love at first bite. No wonder Elvis loved that combo so much!

So that’s the inspiration for today’s recipe: Skinny Peanut Butter Banana Seven Layer Bars! Ooey, gooey, sweet, nutty, soft, chewy… This is the stuff dreams are made of. Especially when those dreams are barely 100 calories!

If you’re new to AHB or missed my last seven layer bar recipe, let’s talk a little bit about how these are made. Classic seven layer bars (aka “magic” bars) consist of—you guessed it!—seven ingredients all layered together in a pan. And those are graham crackers, butter, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch morsels, nuts, and sweetened condensed milk. That makes for quite a delicious mouthful—and a whole lot of calories!

So to lighten these up, I made a few simple swaps. Egg whites are substituted for the butter to hold the graham cracker crumbs together. That cuts down on a whole lot of calories and adds a little extra protein too! I switched to unsweetened coconut to shave off a few more calories, and we’ll use a little less than the traditional recipe calls for. Finally, Greek yogurt and Truvia are substituted for half of the sweetened condensed milk. Another protein boost and fewer calories from sugar!

Now for the fun parts! Freshly diced banana is substituted for the butterscotch morsels. Try to cut the fruit about the same size as the mini chocolate chips. If you’re running short on time or don’t want to sprinkle sticky banana pieces, then slice the banana really thinly instead, and layer it on top of the coconut. (I thought of that after I put the first pan in the oven… Whoops!)

The peanut butter is mixed in with the sweetened condensed milk, Greek yogurt, and Truvia. Drizzled over the rest of the ingredients, it adds the perfect nutty and sweet finishing touch to the bars. It’s nearly impossible to resist eating that mixture straight from the bowl with a spoon… And if you figure out how, tell me your secret!

Baked until golden, cooled until set, and sliced to serve… These beauties are a dessert to behold. And eat. And sneak seconds and thirds when nobody’s watching.

But I wouldn’t know anything about that, of course!

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More seven layer (magic) bars from other food bloggers…

♥   Nutella Magic Bars by Roxana’s Home Baking

♥   Reese’s Oreo Magic Cookie Bars by Something Swanky

♥   5 Ingredient (MAGIC) Matzo Chocolate Bars by Half Baked Harvest

♥   Cherry Coconut Magic Bars by Mom On Timeout