Dairy-free, Gluten-Free Spiced Banana Oat Bars

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
2. Place 1/2 cup oats and chia seeds in a spice grinder or food processor and process into flour, about 1 minute.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together oat-chia flour, 2 1/2 cups oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and allspice.
4. In a mixing bowl, blend banana, honey or agave nectar, oil, juice and vanilla extract with a hand mixer until relatively smooth, about 1 minute. Add oat mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Scrape dough into the prepared baking dish and evenly spread with a spatula.
5. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned around edges and beginning to pull away from pan sides. Place pan on a wire rack and let cook completely.
6. Frost with Sweet “Cream Cheese” Topping, if using. Cut into quarters each way, to create 16 bars.
7. If unfrosted, store bars in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days (may be frozen for longer storage). If frosted, eat immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days.

Sweet “Cream Cheese” Topping

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 28 grams of dairy-free, allergy-friendly cream cheese style spread (such as Daiya), 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar, 1/4 cup coconut cream and 1 tsp pure vanilla flavoring (alcohol-free), until smooth.
2. Taste and whisk in additional sweetener, if desired.
3. Store topping in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days.