Irresistible Banana Bars with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Your New Favorite Overripe Banana Recipe
Do you often find yourself staring at a bunch of browning bananas on your kitchen counter, sighing, and thinking, “not another banana bread”? While classic banana bread and muffins are beloved staples, sometimes you crave something a little different, something with a unique texture and an extra touch of indulgence. That’s precisely where these incredible banana bars come in! They offer a delightful departure from the usual, delivering all the comforting flavor of ripe bananas in a moist, tender, and easily shareable bar form, crowned with a luscious vanilla cream cheese frosting. Each bite is packed with rich banana taste, complemented by the tangy sweetness of the frosting, making them an ideal companion for your morning coffee or an afternoon tea.
Related Recipe – Cream Cheese Frosting
The Versatility of Banana Bars: Perfect for Any Occasion
One of the best qualities of these banana bars is their incredible versatility. If you’re hosting a gathering or looking for a dessert-style appetizer that’s easy to handle, simply cut these into smaller, bite-sized squares. They’re perfect for parties, barbecues, potlucks, or even a casual family get-together. With just a few cocktail napkins and toothpicks, your guests can effortlessly enjoy these delightful treats without needing extensive utensils. Their compact nature makes them much simpler to transport and serve than a traditional cake, yet they deliver an equally satisfying dessert experience. Imagine a platter of these golden-brown bars, glistening with creamy white frosting, making a beautiful and inviting addition to any dessert spread.
Beyond Banana Bread: Exploring New Banana Dessert Ideas
My kitchen has seen its fair share of banana-inspired creations over the years. While banana bread holds a special place, I’m always eager to explore new and exciting ways to transform those ripe, speckled bananas into something magical. These banana cupcakes, also topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting, have always been a family favorite, offering a charming individual serving option. I’ve also experimented with spiced banana chocolate chip muffins, which provide a wonderful blend of warm spices and rich chocolate against the sweet banana base.
The beauty of baking with bananas lies in their ability to complement a wide range of flavors. For a seasonal twist, I’ve crafted a fantastic fall bread combining sweet cranberries and creamy white chocolate with ripe bananas. And if you’ve never tried cinnamon chips with bananas, you’re missing out – as proven by some exceptionally good cinnamon chip banana muffins I’ve made! Even playful variations like banana upside down muffins have been a hit, not only charming to look at but utterly delicious. These banana bars, however, offer a unique texture – denser and chewier than cake, yet softer than many cookie bars, making them truly stand out.
The Magic of Overripe Bananas in Baking
Like many home bakers, my constant supply of bananas is often fueled by my youngest son, who is an avid football player and weightlifter. He insists on having bananas in the house, primarily for their potassium content, which is fantastic for muscle recovery after intense workouts. This sometimes leads me to be a bit “overzealous” with my banana purchases, resulting in a counter full of beautifully browning fruit. What might seem like a problem to some is a golden opportunity for me – and for you – to create delicious baked goods! As bananas ripen, their starches convert to sugars, intensifying their natural sweetness and making them incredibly flavorful. This also contributes to the moist texture we all love in banana desserts. So, those spotty, brown bananas aren’t past their prime; they’re at their peak for baking, and these banana bars are the perfect way to utilize them.
Tips for Perfectly Moist Banana Bars Every Time
Achieving the perfect banana bar is straightforward with a few key baking tips:
- Choose the Right Bananas: The browner, the better! Speckled or even mostly brown bananas are ideal as they are sweeter and easier to mash, contributing maximum flavor and moisture to your bars.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter and egg are at room temperature. This allows them to cream together more effectively with the sugar, creating a smooth batter and ensuring even distribution of ingredients, which leads to a more tender crumb.
- Don’t Overmix: After adding the dry ingredients, mix only until just combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough, dry bars. A few lumps of flour are acceptable.
- Measure Flour Correctly: For best results, spoon your flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge. Scooping directly from the bag can compact the flour, leading to too much flour and dry bars.
- Check for Doneness: The bars are ready when the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Be careful not to overbake, as this can dry them out.
- Cool Completely: Resist the urge to frost the bars while they are warm. The frosting will melt and create a mess. Allow them to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before applying the cream cheese frosting.
Mastering the Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
The vanilla cream cheese frosting is what elevates these banana bars from good to absolutely phenomenal. Here are some tips for a smooth, creamy, and irresistible frosting:
- Softened Cream Cheese and Butter: Just like with the bars, ensure your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. This prevents lumps and ensures a smooth, uniform consistency when beaten together.
- Sift Your Powdered Sugar: Sifting the powdered sugar before adding it to the cream cheese mixture prevents lumps and ensures a silky-smooth frosting. This step makes a noticeable difference in the final texture.
- Beat Until Fluffy: Beat the cream cheese and butter until they are light and fluffy before gradually adding the powdered sugar. This incorporates air, making the frosting wonderfully light and spreadable.
- Adjust Consistency: If your frosting is too thick, add a tiny splash of milk or cream (half a teaspoon at a time) until it reaches your desired consistency. If it’s too thin, add a bit more sifted powdered sugar.
- Vanilla Extract: Use good quality vanilla extract for the best flavor. This simple ingredient makes a big impact on the overall taste of the frosting.
Creative Variations to Try
While these banana bars are perfect as written, don’t hesitate to experiment with additions to customize them to your liking:
- Nuts: Fold in ½ to 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for added crunch and nutty flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: Chocolate and banana are a match made in heaven! Add ½ to 1 cup of semi-sweet, milk, or even white chocolate chips to the batter.
- Spices: Enhance the warm banana flavor with a pinch of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice in the batter.
- Caramel Drizzle: After frosting, a light drizzle of caramel sauce can add an extra layer of decadence.
- Coconut: Toasted shredded coconut can be folded into the batter or sprinkled on top of the frosting for a tropical twist.
Serving and Storing Your Banana Bars
These bars are best served at room temperature, allowing the frosting to be perfectly soft and creamy. Once frosted, store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese frosting. They will stay fresh and delicious for 3-4 days. You can also freeze unfrosted banana bars for up to 3 months. Simply wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil. When ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature and then frost as usual. Frosted bars can also be frozen for up to a month, though the texture of the frosting may be slightly altered upon thawing.
So next time you spy those browning bananas, resist the urge to automatically reach for the banana bread recipe. Instead, give these phenomenal banana bars a try. With their rich banana flavor, tender texture, and creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting, they are bound to become a new favorite in your household. Hopefully, you’ll love them as much as we do, and they’ll quickly become your go-to recipe for transforming ripe bananas into an unforgettable sweet treat!
Banana Bars with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
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Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- 1 ⅓ cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup mashed bananas 2 large or 3 medium
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Frosting:
- 1 8- oz package of cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter 1/2 stick, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet (15x10x1) and set aside.
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In large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium-high until creamy. Gradually add sugar until well combined. Add egg and beat just until combined. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the salt. Turn mixer down to low and gradually add the flour mixture until well combined.
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Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until top springs back to the touch. Remove from oven and cool in pan on a wire rack.
For the Frosting:
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Beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar until completely combined. Beat in the vanilla.
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Spread frosting evenly over the cake with an icing spatula. Cut into bars.
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.