These Banana Bars with Browned Butter Frosting are truly bonkers. How many other “B” words can I use? Beautiful. Blissful. Beloved. Guys, they are just really stinkin’ good.
Look. LOOK. I can already see your eyebrows raised. Who gets this excited about something that basically sounds like frosted banana bread? You GUYS. This is so much more. Please believe me when I tell you that these heavenly little banana bars are incredibly delicious. Have I ever led you astray?
If I’m being honest, I’m pretty solidly “meh” on banana bread. I mean, it’s good, but I am highly unlikely to wax poetic about it. But THESE BARS. The bars are moist, sweet, thick, chewy, and perfect.
And the FROSTING. Oh sweet mercy, the frosting. I want to bathe in it. But as that sounds very sticky, I will instead slather it over the warm bars. When frosted warm, the frosting seeps into the bars a bit, and hardens into a bit of a glaze. The slightly crackly frosting texture combined with the soft and tender bars is out of this world.
Don’t skip these. The title might not grab you as your new favorite dessert, but let these unassuming little beauties convince you of their merit. They are divine.
Banana Bars with Browned Butter Frosting
Ingredients
For Banana Bars
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas about 3-4 bananas
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
For Browned Butter Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan.
- Beat white sugar, sour cream, 1/2 cup softened butter, and eggs in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in bananas and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix for 1 minute. Spread batter in prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 27 minutes.
- While bars bake, prepare frosting. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, until bubbling and golden brown. Stir with a rubber spatula, scraping from the bottom, until butter is amber colored. Remove from heat. Whisk in powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Spread over warm bars. Allow bars to cool before slicing and serving.
I made these today by subbing the flour for a gf one and boy oh boy they were good. The recipe was simple enough the kids could help without destroying everything which was a bonus. The brown butter frosting was ridiculously easy and amazing too. Thanks Amy, this recipe is going into rotation.