These easy Banana Bars are soft and moist with brown butter icing. Think of the best banana bread made into easy to eat bars. This recipe is great for breakfast, brunch, desserts, and potlucks! One of the best ways to use up brown bananas.banana bars slice

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BANANA BAR RECIPE

Bananas are a hot commodity in my house. My husband snags them when they’re still green and freezes them for his protein shakes.

Something I don’t really understand but I’m sure he’s explained to me the scientific reason why underipe bananas are better for his workout shakes.

Then there’s my little baby Wes who eats one for breakfast every morning.

This week Wes boycotted bananas and the bananas sitting on my counter were too ripe for John’s muscles so I found myself looking at a bunch of overripe bananas getting more ripe by the minute.

My usual go-to is my favorite way to use bananas is this Banana Bread. Ohhh, it’s good. But today I made these banana bars with brown butter frosting and it’s the perfect way to use up bananas.

It’s super moist sour cream banana squares topped with a browned butter frosting.

banana bars stack

This picture does not do these Banana Bars recipe justice. I LOVED them. They are good warm, cold, and room temperature.

banana bars stack

Browned butter anything gets me every time and compliments the banana flavor. Although I’m slightly curious if the peanut butter frosting from this Peanut Butter Cake would be life changing on these.banana bars stack

HOW TO MAKE BANANA BARS

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 10×15 jelly roll pan or line with parchment paper (for thicker bars use a 9×13 pan and bake for 10 minutes longer than directed). In a large mixing bowl, beat first four ingredients (sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs) with an electric mixer or stand mixture with the paddle attachment until creamy. Blend in the mashed bananas and vanilla for one minute. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) and blend for one minute. Stir in nuts and pour batter into the pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly until warm but not hot and frost with Browned Butter Frosting (recipe below).
  2. For the Browned Butter Frosting: Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat past the melting point until it is boiling and a delicate brown. Remove from the heat and immediately add the remaining ingredients. This should be thicker than a glaze and thinner than frosting. You can add milk to get it to the correct consistency. Using a rubber spatula smooth over the top of the banana bars immediately for the best results. The frosting will be easier to spread once it’s on the warm bread. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

WHAT IS BROWNED BUTTER?

Browning butter adds a whole level of flavor to anything. You cook butter over medium low heat until it starts to turn brown and has a nutty flavor.

To prevent the butter from overbrowning it’s wise to transfer the browned butter to another bowl when it’s done instead of letting it sit in a hot pan which can cause it to cook longer.banana bars stack

OTHER BANANA RECIPES

banana bars slice

Banana Bars

4.57 from 109 votes
This banana bar recipe is soft and moist with browned butter icing. Think of the best banana bread made into easy to eat bars.
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

Banana Bread Bars:

Browned Butter Frosting:

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 10x15 jelly roll pan or line with parchment paper (for thicker bars use a 9x13 pan and bake for 10 minutes longer than directed). In a large mixing bowl, beat first four ingredients (sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs) with an electric mixer or stand mixture with the paddle attachment until creamy. Blend in the mashed bananas and vanilla for one minute. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) and blend for one minute. Stir in nuts and pour batter into the pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly until warm but not hot and frost with Browned Butter Frosting (recipe below).
  • For the Browned Butter Frosting Recipe: Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat past the melting point until it is boiling and a delicate brown. Remove from the heat and immediately add the remaining ingredients. This should be thicker than a glaze and thinner than frosting. You can add milk to get it to the correct consistency. Using a spatula smooth over the top of the banana bars immediately for the best results. The frosting will be easier to spread once it's on the warm bread.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Christy Denney

banana bars slice

banana bars slice

author avatar
Christy Denney
Christy is the voice behind The Girl Who Who Ate Everything! She is no stranger to making meals that kids and adults will love. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona as the youngest of ten kids. She can always be found in her kitchen with music playing and cooking with her kids. She published her first cookbook in 2014. She loves party food that gets the conversations going!
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