Crunchy Pineapple, Banana, and Pecan Granola Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

hummingbird granola bars on upside down sheet pan with flowers around

Crunchy Pineapple, Banana, and Pecan Granola Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

These Crunchy Pineapple, Banana, and Pecan Granola Bars with Cream Cheese Icing taste JUST like the classic Hummingbird Cake. Every bite is crunchy, perfectly sweet, fruity, nutty, and just SO. DELICIOUS.

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 282kcal

Ingredients

Granola Bars

1 ¾ cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups pecans, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ¼ cups banana chips, chopped
1 ½ cups dried pineapple, chopped
⅓ cup mild honey or agave
4 ⅓ Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ teaspoon salt

Frosting

1 ounce cream cheese
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ Tablespoon milk
⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Granola Bars

Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
Line a jelly roll pan (10.5"x15.5"x1") with parchment paper. Set aside
In a large bowl, stir together oats, pecans, cinnamon, banana chips, and pineapple. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together honey, vegetable oil, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Pour over dry ingredients.
Mix thoroughly, making sure all dry ingredients are moistened.
Dump onto prepared sheet pan.
Spread to cover bottom.
Pack down.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Allow the bars to cool for 12-15 minutes before cutting.
After cutting, allow to finish cooling.

Frosting

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.
Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Spoon into piping bag.
Snip off end.
Pipe onto cooled bars.

Notes

Substitutions:

If you want to make this recipe vegan, use agave instead of honey, vegan cream cheese, and your favorite non-dairy milk (we like it most with unsweetened almond and unsweetened coconut milk!).
You can use any honey you like, but raw and unfiltered honey tastes the best and has the most nutritional benefits. In the photos, we used what we had on hand because we had to make these bars so many times! But, it really is best to use a lighter honey.

Expert Tips:

Use a metal spatula or a measuring cup to pack granola tightly into pan.
If you under bake, the bars will be soft and chewy when they cool. You can fix this by putting them back in the oven for a few more minutes!
Don't try to cut the bars when they are hot, they will fall apart. Though, don't wait too long to cut them, either. You will also need to use a very sharp knife to keep these bars from breaking when cutting.
This recipe is naturally gluten free with vegan options!

Nutrition