Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting
Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting are amazing. Okay, I have to admit I love frosting–on cookies, cakes, brownies–anything. But Browned Butter Frosting is in a league all of it’s own. And these Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting are amazing. The Banana Bread Bars are filled with bananas and walnuts, and after browning the butter and making the frosting I sprinkled more walnuts on top for additional flavor and texture. They turned out heavenly. On top of that it’s a great way to use overripe bananas.
Follow Me On Instagram!
Last month John over bought bananas and I looked high and low trying to find recipes to use up about 18 overripe bananas. I made up a batch of Chunky Monkey Blondies, Banana Chocolate Chunk Snack Bars, Banana Cake with Butterscotch Fudge Frosting, Chocolate Banana Bread Streusel Muffins and Banana Blondies. All of them were wonderful, although I have to admit I am partial to any recipe with frosting. 🙂
If you are looking for a delicious blondie to serve your family over the hot summer days ahead, then go ahead and pull this recipe out of the bag and share it with those you love. Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting will surely make you (and them) salivate. And that’s not such a bad thing. 🙂
Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting are so scrumptious you may find them addictive!
Having chopped walnuts in the batter as well as the icing adds such great texture to these bars.
Try Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting for your next holiday potluck or gathering.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients for the bars.
Mix butter, sugar, eggs, salt, baking soda, vanilla and sour cream (or Greek yogurt) with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens baked goods. Add bananas and walnuts.
Stir ingredients with a wooden spoon to combine.
Spoon batter into a greased 9×13″ baking dish.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
I used these ingredients to make the frosting.
Place butter in a saucepan and bring to boiling and slightly browned. Remove from heat.
Add vanilla, half-and-half and powdered sugar and whisk to combine.
Spread frosting over cooled bars. Sprinkle with nuts. Cut into bars.
Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting make great bars for tailgating parties.
These dessert bars are also great for any summer backyard barbecue.
Here’s the recipe.
BANANA BREAD BARS WITH BROWNED BUTTER FROSTING
(Recipe adapted from My Life of Travels and Adventures)
Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 sauce pan
- 1 whisk
- 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped or finely diced
- 1 9x13" glass baking dish
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
BARS:
- 2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened (1/2 cup)
- 1 cup sour cream I used ½ cup sour cream and ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 4 large ripe bananas mashed with a fork
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup walnuts finely diced
BROWNED BUTTER FROSTING:
- 1 stick unsalted butter (½ cup)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp. 2% milk or half-and-half
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup walnuts finely diced, for garnish
Instructions
BARS:
- Mix sugar, butter, sour cream (Greek yogurt), eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda with an electric mixer until smooth and well mixed.
- Add flour, bananas and walnuts.
- Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
- Spray a 9x13” glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread banana bread mixture into prepared dish.
- Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool about 10 minutes before frosting with icing.
BROWNED BUTTER FROSTING:
- Heat the butter until boiling and slightly browned.
- Remove from heat.
- Add vanilla, powdered sugar and half-and-half and whisk well to combine and mixture is smooth.
- Spread over top of warm Banana Bread Bars.
- Sprinkle finely diced walnuts over top for garnish, if desired.
- Pat the walnuts down into the icing very gently.
- Allow mixture to cool completely before cutting into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
- [b]BARS:[/b][br]
- 2 cups [url href=”http://www.goldmedalflour.com/” target=”_blank”]Gold Medal[/url] UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sour cream (I used ½ cup sour cream and ½ cup Greek yogurt)
- 2 large eggs
- 4 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ cup finely diced walnuts[br]
- [b]BROWNED BUTTER FROSTING:[/b][br]
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp. milk or half-and-half
- ¼ to 1/3 cup finely diced walnuts for garnish, if desired
- Mix sugar, butter, sour cream (Greek yogurt), eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda with an electric mixer until smooth and well mixed.
- Add flour, bananas and walnuts.
- Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
- Spray a 9×13” glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread banana bread mixture into prepared dish.
- Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool about 10 minutes before frosting with icing. [br]
- Heat the butter until boiling and slightly browned.
- Remove from heat.
- Add vanilla, powdered sugar and half-and-half and stir well to combine and mixture is smooth.
- Spread over top of warm Banana Bread Bars.
- Sprinkle finely diced walnuts over top for garnish, if desired.
- Pat the walnuts down into the icing very gently.
- Allow mixture to cool completely before cutting into bars.
I loved the taste of these delectable bars.
Place Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting on your next summer menu!
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes:
Banana Chocolate Chunk Snack Bars
Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 sauce pan
- 1 whisk
- 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped or finely diced
- 1 9×13" glass baking dish
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
BARS:
- 2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened (1/2 cup)
- 1 cup sour cream I used ½ cup sour cream and ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 4 large ripe bananas mashed with a fork
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup walnuts finely diced
BROWNED BUTTER FROSTING:
- 1 stick unsalted butter (½ cup)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp. 2% milk or half-and-half
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup walnuts finely diced, for garnish
Instructions
BARS:
- Mix sugar, butter, sour cream (Greek yogurt), eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda with an electric mixer until smooth and well mixed.
- Add flour, bananas and walnuts.
- Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
- Spray a 9×13” glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread banana bread mixture into prepared dish.
- Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool about 10 minutes before frosting with icing.
BROWNED BUTTER FROSTING:
- Heat the butter until boiling and slightly browned.
- Remove from heat.
- Add vanilla, powdered sugar and half-and-half and whisk well to combine and mixture is smooth.
- Spread over top of warm Banana Bread Bars.
- Sprinkle finely diced walnuts over top for garnish, if desired.
- Pat the walnuts down into the icing very gently.
- Allow mixture to cool completely before cutting into bars.
27 Comments
Robert Granger
January 29, 2021 at 3:14 am
Wow. My cake/bars rose nice, but as they cooled they sank completely! The only thing that I did differently was use a cup of lankato sugar substitute in place of a cup of the regular sugar. And my butter was melted, not softened. The frosting came out overly sweet. Don’t think I’ll try this recipe again. So disappointed.
Teresa
January 29, 2021 at 11:27 am
Hi, Robert. I’m sure the reason the bars sank was because of the sugar substitute. Those don’t work well as replacements for sugar, especially not in the same amounts. This is a terrific recipe if made according to the directions.
20 Easy Banana Desserts – Recipes Destination
February 7, 2020 at 10:25 am
[…] From: CantStayOutOfTheKitchen […]
Lana
January 16, 2020 at 12:14 pm
This looks like an awesome recipe!
Could you make them in the small loaf pans?
Teresa
January 16, 2020 at 1:03 pm
Hi, Lana. I’m sure you could. Just invert each one after baking (and cooling) and ice each one separately.
Sandra Roberson
August 5, 2019 at 9:26 pm
I can’t find the recipe for your whole wheat , yogurt banana bread.
Would like to make it .
Teresa
August 6, 2019 at 11:27 am
Hi Sandra. I don’t have any recipes that use whole wheat, yogurt and bananas. I do have a Quick Sourdough bread that uses yogurt and bread flour. I have banana bread recipes but no whole wheat flour or yogurt. I have several muffin recipes that use bananas and some use yogurt, but I don’t think any of them use whole wheat flour. So sorry I can’t help you with this. Perhaps you found the recipe on another blog?
Lynn
February 29, 2024 at 3:47 pm
Can you freeze the banana bread bars?
Teresa Ambra
March 1, 2024 at 10:59 am
Hi Lynn, absolutely! I freeze every kind of cookie or brownie imaginable! And yes, I froze those back when I baked them.
Teresa
August 6, 2019 at 11:29 am
Hey, Sandra, I found it! You’re looking for the Banana Chocolate Chunk Snack Bars. Here’s the link: https://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2015/05/29/banana-chocolate-chunk-snack-bars/
Ways To Use Ripe or Overripe Bananas – Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen
February 1, 2019 at 2:50 am
[…] Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting […]
30 Easy Banana Desserts – Karluci
December 18, 2018 at 12:06 am
[…] From: CantStayOutOfTheKitchen […]
Barb
July 23, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Absolutely amazing!! Do you know if you can freeze them?
Teresa
July 23, 2018 at 8:27 pm
Hi, Barb. Yes, I actually did freeze these bars for a couple of months. I put them in plastic containers with waxed paper between stacked layers.
Margaret Callahan
December 8, 2017 at 2:47 pm
Have made the Banana Bars several times and took to Church. They raved about them.
Teresa
December 8, 2017 at 9:02 pm
Hi, Margaret. So glad you and your friends at church have enjoyed these cookies. They really are terrific. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know.
Cathy Webb
July 16, 2017 at 9:36 am
These are our new all time favorite! The frosting makes these bars! The sweet/salty flavor was fabulous! Thank you for sharing!!
Teresa
July 16, 2017 at 12:10 pm
Thanks, Cathy, I really appreciate you stopping by and letting me know. I thought they turned out terrific too. Have a great weekend.
Catherine
October 19, 2016 at 2:32 pm
These banana bars are outstanding!! Thank you.
Teresa
October 20, 2016 at 8:04 am
So glad you liked them Catherine. We loved ’em. 🙂
Cakespy
January 5, 2016 at 7:28 am
Just came across these babies on Pinterest – and I am in love! Thank you for sharing!
Teresa
January 5, 2016 at 9:21 am
They are so good, I hope you give them a try soon!
Sylvian C
April 30, 2020 at 7:38 pm
I am allergic to walnuts, what can I substitute them with?
Teresa
May 1, 2020 at 9:42 am
Hi Sylvian, can you eat any other kind of nuts? pecans? almonds? pistachios? Macadamia nuts? I think you can substitute any kind of nuts with good success.
Pam
August 30, 2015 at 1:54 pm
these by far are the best banana bars I have ever made! Will be making these again. I did the same with the walnuts since my husband and I both love any kind of nuts.
Teresa
August 30, 2015 at 10:58 pm
Pam, I’m so glad you enjoyed them. I thought they were absolutely drool-worthy! 🙂
Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting | diet-balance
June 24, 2015 at 7:03 am
[…] post Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting appeared first on Can't Stay Out of the […]