Preheat and Prepare: First things first, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin and line it with baking parchment, leaving a little overhang on two sides to act as handles. This will make lifting the bars out later much easier.

Mash the Bananas: In a large mixing bowl, peel the ripe bananas and mash them thoroughly with a fork. You want them to be very well broken down, almost like a purée, with only a few small lumps remaining.

Combine Wet Ingredients: To the mashed bananas, add the egg, runny honey, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until it's smooth and fully combined.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium-sized bowl, stir together the rolled oats, plain flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Give it a good mix to ensure the baking powder and cinnamon are evenly distributed.

Fold Everything Together: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet banana mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold everything together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; stop as soon as you no longer see dry streaks of flour.

Add Your Extras (Optional): If you’re using any add-ins like chocolate chips or nuts, now is the time to gently fold them into the batter.

Press into the Tin: Scrape the mixture into your prepared baking tin. This next step is key! Use the back of your spatula or a spoon to spread the batter evenly and press it down firmly into the corners and across the entire surface. This compaction is what helps the bars hold together so well. What works best for me is using a second piece of parchment on top to press down without getting my hands sticky.

Bake to Perfection: Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 22-25 minutes. The bars are ready when the edges are turning a lovely golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.

Cool Completely: This is a crucial step for clean slices! Leave the bars to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack. This allows them to set fully. If you try to cut them while warm, they will likely crumble.

Slice and Serve: Once completely cool, use the parchment paper handles to lift the entire block out of the tin. Place it on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut it into 16 squares.