Banana Cookie Bars are chewy yet soft bars that make for a sweet and flavorful dessert. These bars are my take on an old fashioned dessert that has been pleasing crowds for as long as I can remember.
Do you love banana recipes? Then this recipe is just what you need to make a tasty dessert that your entire will love. These ooey gooey banana bars are going to fly right off the plate.
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Frosted Banana Bars
Do you have bananas that are a little on the overripe side? If you are tired of making banana bread and want to make a different dessert, this is the recipe for you. Don’t want to eat these tasty bars for dessert? I won’t judge you if you eat them for breakfast!
Recipe Features
These ooey gooey banana bars are an old fashioned remake that your entire family is going to love.
- Ready in under an hour
- Easy to make
- Fills the house with a delicious aroma
If you use dessert bars, you may also love this honey cinnamon bars recipe.
Ingredients
You only need 12 simple ingredients to make these banana cookie bars.
unsalted butter: Unsalted butter works well in baking by providing a fat, and flavor without added salt. You can use salted butter in it’s place if you would like.
brown sugar: brown sugar is a mixture of granulated sugar and molasses. Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar are interchangeable. However dark brown sugar is sweeter than light brown sugar.
vanilla extract: Vanilla extract not only adds a slight hint of vanilla flavor, it also increases the other flavors in recipes.
eggs: When baking with eggs I recommend always using room temperature eggs.
all-purpose flour: No need to sift the flour for this recipe, but sifted flour would make your bars lighter and less dense.
kosher salt: kosher salt is a course more crystallized salt from table salt. This gives the salt more flavor.
bananas: This recipe is best with bananas that are soft and ripe. Look for bananas that are speckled. Or you can follow my tips below to ripen them at home.
Substitutions
Applesauce: Use 1/4 cup of applesauce in place of eggs, if you want a lower fat recipe.
Table Salt: If you are using table salt in place of kosher salt, reduce your salt to 3/4 teaspoon.
Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
For this recipe, you only need five basic kitchen tools to make this banana cookie bars recipe.
- Mixing Bowls
- 9×13 baking pan
- Stand Mixer or Hand mixer
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
How to Make Banana Cookie Bars with Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Don’t allow these steps to overwhelm you, it may seem difficult but these bars are easy to make and worth the effort.
Step 1: Preheat your oven and prepare your pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray. Set to the side.
Step 2: Mix your wet ingredients
In a large bowl of a standing mixer, on medium speed, add the butter and
brown sugar and mix until creamy. Reduce the speed low speed, and add the vanilla and mix until combined. Begin to add the eggs one at a time, continue to mix on low until well
combined.
Step 3: Mix your dry ingredients
In a medium sized bowl add your flour and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, slowly, mix until well combined.
Step 4: Fold in your bananas
Mash your bananas slightly, and then fold in the mashed bananas into your bar batter.
Step 5: Bake your banana bars
Pour the batter into the baking pan, make sure to have the batter even
throughout the whole baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is set.
Step 6: Cool your bars
Cool your bars for 2 to 3 hours or until your bars are completely cool.
Step 7: Make your Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
In a large bowl of a stand, with a paddle attachment. Add the butter, sugar, salt, and caramel topping. Mix on low medium until well combined for 3 minutes. Add the milk and mix for another 2 minutes on low speed or until smooth.
Step 8: Frost your bars
Frost your bars evenly and garnish with cinnamon sugar if desired.
Variations
Looking for a way to change up this old fashioned dessert recipe? Here are some of my favorite suggestions.
Nuts: Fold in 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to your banana bars for added crunch.
Chocolate Chips: Add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to batter for a sweet and chocolate cookie bars.
Toppings/Serving Suggestions
Looking for some different ways to top your bars? Here are some other frostings that you want to use instead.
- caramel frosting
- buttercream frosting
- vanilla frosting
- cream cheese frosting
- cinnamon sugar topping.
- powdered sugar
- dust the tops of your bars with ground cinnamon
Tips
Want to make sure your bars turn out well? Here are my best tips!
Need to ripen bananas quickly? Place them in a paper bag and fold the top of the bag over. Leave your bananas in the bag for one or two days or until they are soft and ripe.
Want to know how to evenly cut your bars? Line your baking pan with parchment paper, with enough hang over on the sides to grab. Once your bars are cool, remove the bars by gripping the parchment paper and place on the counter or cutting board. Cut in 4 rows then in six rows. This will result in perfectly sized bars
FAQs
Do you have questions about banana bars? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Yes! This recipe will double easily however you will need to use a larger pan or two separate pans to make sure that your bars cook evenly.
Absolutely, buttercream frosting can be made up to one week ahead if it’s stored in the fridge. Or, you can freeze buttercream frosting for up to three months in an airtight container.
Yes! You can freeze these bars frosted or unfrosted for up to two months. Wrap these bars individually and store in a freezer safe bag or container. To thaw, allow the bars to sit on the counter for one to two hours or until completely thawed.
More Banana Recipes
If you like banana recipes, give these recipes a try:
Banana Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Print off the recipe card below or toggle on Cook Mode to keep your screen from going dark while you follow along on your phone or tablet.
Banana Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
Caramel Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup caramel topping
- 1½ tsp. whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray. Set to the side.
- In a large bowl of a standing mixer, on medium speed, add the butter and brown sugar and mix until creamy.
- Reduce the speed low speed, and add the vanilla and mix until combined. Begin to add the eggs one at a time, continue to mix on low until well combined.
- In a medium sized bowl add your flour and salt.
- Whisk to combine.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, slowly, mix until well combined.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the bananas. Pour the batter into the baking pan, make sure to have the batter even throughout the whole baking pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is set.
Salted Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl of a stand, with a paddle attachment.
- Add the butter, sugar, salt, and caramel topping.
- Mix on low medium until well combined for 3 minutes. Add the milk and mix for another 2 minutes on low speed. Once the banana bars are cool, top with the buttercream.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
Nutrition
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