Banana Bars
User Reviews
4.6
Banana Bars
Description
The Banana Bars recipe blends mashed bananas into a rich batter made from sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs, creating a dense and moist texture that sets it apart from traditional banana bread. The addition of baking soda and salt balances the sweetness while powdered sugar and vanilla in the frosting add smooth richness. The browned butter frosting offers a gentle caramel note from butter carefully heated past melting to reach a delicate brown color, then mixed with sugar and milk to a spreadable consistency that is thinner than classic frosting but more substantial than a glaze.
Baking in a large jelly roll or rectangular pan produces bars with lightly golden edges and a soft crumb center, perfect for cutting into portable servings. The nuts, if used, provide contrast in texture and subtle earthiness. This combination delivers a dessert with familiar flavors updated through the topping and panning method. The frosting is best applied while the bars are warm but not hot, ensuring it spreads smoothly without melting through.
These bars are suitable as a snack or dessert alongside tea or coffee and can be stored wrapped at room temperature. The recipe's straightforward steps and common ingredients make it approachable for home bakers who want a twist on banana bread that presents easily for gatherings or packed lunches.
Ingredients
Banana Bread Bars:
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup butter unsalted, softened
- 2 large egg
- 1 ¾ cups banana about 3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup walnuts optional, chopped
Browned Butter Frosting:
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 3 3/4 /4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- milk or half and half, about 3 tablespoons
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.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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