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A pile of banana bars on a piece of parchment paper.
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Banana Bars

Put your overripe bananas to work in a big pan of Banana Bars, one of the most spectacular banana desserts ever. The bars are soft and cake-like with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 24 servings
Calories 267kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the bars:

For the frosting:

Instructions

To make the bars:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 15” x 10” x 1” pan (jelly roll pan) with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In an electric mixer fit with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Add eggs and beat until incorporated. Beat in banana and vanilla until incorporated. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until uniformly combined. Spread into prepared pan.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

To make the frosting:

  • In a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
  • Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well. Spread evenly over cooled bars.

Video

Notes

  1. Jelly roll pan: To get the ideal cake-to-frosting ratio, bake this cake in a 10-inch by 15-inch jelly roll pan (I love this one by OXO).
  2. Mashed ripe bananas: If frozen, thaw on the counter while you prep the other ingredients. To ripen bananas in real time, preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Arrange the unpeeled bananas on the baking sheet. Bake until banana skins are completely black all over, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool. Scoop the banana pulp from the peel, then mash.
  3. Yield: This recipe makes 24 squares, 2 1/2-inch by 2 1/2-inch each, cut in a 4×6 configuration. Obviously you can cut the bars however you want!
  4. Storage: Refrigerate any uneaten bars within 2 hours and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can bring them to room temperature before serving or eat them cold (I personally love cold cream cheese frosting).

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bar | Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 277IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg