Chocolate chip banana bars are soft and moist banana bars with a thick, chewy texture like a blondie, and they are full of delicious chocolate chips. These buttery banana chocolate chip bars are quick and easy to make, and they make a terrific substitute for banana bread.
Banana bread (or any other kind) is so warm and inviting. My Brown Butter Banana Bread, Nutella Banana Bread, Banana Mug Cake, and Banana Mini Muffins recipes are my favorites. These chocolate chip banana bars are just like that. This recipe is for you if you like banana desserts that are soft and moist.
You only need a few basic items to make a batch of soft, chewy banana chocolate bars that are quick and easy to make. You adore a tasty take on banana bread. These banana bar cookies with butter taste like a mix of blondies and banana bread.
Tools & Ingredients
Tools
- 1 metal pan that is 8×8 inches (20 cm)
- 1 sheet of parchment paper
- Three basins for mixing
- 1 flexible spatula or spoon and whisk
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) of butter without salt
- 1 cup (120 g) of all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) of light brown sugar
- 1 big egg that is at room temperature
- About two medium bananas, mashed into a cup
- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) of vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (128 g) of small chocolate chips, split up
Recipe Modifications
If you need them, here are my suggestions for changes to this buttery banana blondie bar recipe.
- All-purpose flour: To make this recipe gluten-free, use a good 1-1 gluten-free flour or oat flour. Change the amount of flour depending on weight instead of cups. This banana dessert bar has 120 g of flour in it.
- Baking Powder: What may I use instead of baking powder? 1 tsp of baking soda. The blondie bars will have a different texture, but they will still taste great.
- You can also use an equivalent amount of salted butter, vegan butter, or plant-based butter.
- Light brown sugar is called for in this chocolate chip banana bread bar recipe, but maple sugar would also work nicely to make it free of refined sugar.
- Mashed Banana: The bananas should be fully ripe and have some brown stains.
- Egg: This recipe hasn’t been tried without an egg.
- Vanilla extract gives the banana, light brown sugar, and chocolate chips a great background flavor that goes well with them. If you don’t have vanilla extract, you can use vanilla bean paste.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: You can use any kind of chips or chocolate chunks you choose.
Mix-Ins: You can add ½ to 1 cup of chopped nuts, like pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts.
9 x 13 pan: To make enough banana chocolate chip bars for a lot of people, double the recipe as it is. Add 5 more minutes to the baking time, or until a toothpick inserted into the buttery banana and chocolate chip mixture comes out with a few wet crumbs but no smear.
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350 F (177 C) before you start. Put parchment paper on the bottom and two sides of an 8×8 (20 cm) pan.
- Put the butter in a bowl that can go in the microwave. Put the butter in the microwave for a minute to melt it. Mix the butter, and if necessary, heat it up for another 15 seconds. Let the melted butter cool for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is warm but not hot. Put it away for now.
- In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together with a whisk until they are thoroughly mixed.
- In a big mixing bowl, whisk together the chilled butter and the light brown sugar until they are well mixed.
- Add the egg, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract and whisk until everything is smooth and properly mixed. It could look like the mixture has curdled. That’s absolutely okay! The batter will be smoother when you stir in the dry ingredients.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until they are just mixed. I like to do this with about half of the dry ingredients at a time.
- Add the small chocolate chips and fold them in. Make sure to save enough for the banana bars before you bake them.
- Put the banana batter into the pan that has been prepared. Use a flexible spatula to spread the blonde brownie batter evenly over the pan. If you want, you can add more micro chocolate chips on top.
- Bake the chocolate chip banana bars for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sides are hard and the center is fully cooked. If you stick a toothpick into the middle of the banana blondie bars, it should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Let the buttery banana chocolate bars cool in the pan until they are room temperature. When the bars are completely cool, carefully pull the banana dessert out of the pan using the extra edges of the parchment paper. Cut it up and enjoy!
M’s Expert Advice
- Let the melted butter cool. When you melt the butter, it makes the banana bars seem like blondie cookies. Before you use the melted butter in the recipe, make sure it is at room temperature or a little bit warm to the touch.
- Use bananas that are ripe. Ripe bananas taste better, are sweeter, and are much easier to mash than unripe ones. A ripe banana will be mushy and have a lot of brown patches on the outside. In general, bananas that are great for banana bread are also great for banana bars with chocolate chips.
- Let chilly components warm up to room temperature. This makes it easier for the ingredients to blend together, which means less mixing and tastier brown sugar blondie bars.
- Check for signs that the bars are done. Don’t follow the baking time exactly; use it as a guide. A light golden brown color, firm edges that have pulled away from the edge of the pan, and a thoroughly baked center are all signs that the banana bars are done baking.
- Let the bars cool in the pan. You have to wait until these banana chocolate chip bars are completely cold before taking them out of the pan. Put the pan on a cooling rack and let it cool until the pan and banana bread bars are room temperature.
Storage & Freezing Tips
Store: Put the banana chocolate chip bars in a container that doesn’t let air in. You can keep it at room temperature for three to four days. You may keep them for longer by moving them to the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to a month.
Freeze: The chewy banana bread bars with chocolate chips need to be totally cooled to room temperature. Put the banana squares in a ziplock bag and freeze them for up to a month.
Thaw: The best and easiest way to thaw the chocolate chip banana bars is to leave them out at room temperature until they are completely thawed.