Description
These Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting are soft, moist, and full of sweet banana flavor. Made with ripe bananas and sour cream, they have a tender cake-like texture and are topped with rich homemade brown butter frosting with delicious nutty notes. Perfect for dessert, potlucks, or an afternoon treat!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 1–2 bananas)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (for frosting)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for frosting)
- 1 pinch salt (for frosting)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, granulated sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Stir in the sour cream until fully incorporated.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gently stir to combine.
- Add the all-purpose flour and fold just until the batter is smooth and combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25–32 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let the banana cake bars cool for at least 30 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the brown butter frosting, place 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 4–6 minutes, allowing it to melt, foam, and turn golden brown with toasted brown specks.
- Remove the browned butter from the heat and let it cool for 5–10 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
- Pour in the browned butter and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining heavy cream as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency.
- Spread the brown butter frosting evenly over the completely cooled banana bars. Slice into 9 bars and serve.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the sweetest banana flavor.
- Full-fat Greek yogurt can replace sour cream without compromising the moist texture.
- Measure flour carefully to avoid dense or dry banana bars.
- Do not overmix the batter after adding the flour.
- Watch the butter carefully while browning because it can burn quickly.
- Allow the browned butter to cool slightly before mixing it into the frosting.
- Make sure the banana cake is completely cool before spreading the frosting.
- Add heavy cream gradually to achieve the desired frosting consistency.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freeze tightly wrapped bars for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (1/9 of recipe)
- Calories: 406 kcal
- Sugar: 39 g
- Sodium: 390 mg
- Fat: 13.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 66 mg