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Three banana blondies with chocolate chips, stacked on top of one another
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5 from 1 vote

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

These banana chocolate chip bars are one part blondie and one part banana cake. They're moist, tender and almost gooey with a delicious banana bread flavor and tons of chocolate chips. So simple - the perfect recipe for your brown bananas!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Banana Chocolate Chip Bars, Banana Chocolate Chip Blondies
Servings: 9 bars
Author: Fiona Dowling

Equipment

  • 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams) melted and slightly cooled
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar (157 grams) or 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup mashed bananas (180 ml) about 2 bananas, depending on size
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (180 grams)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan and line with baking paper so that there's an overhang around the sides. Alternatively, lightly grease.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Then whisk in the egg and vanilla.
  • Gently stir in the flour, cinnamon and salt. I did this with a rubber spatula. Stop stirring when you no longer see lumps or streak of flour.
  • Stir in the mashed bananas.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 32-35 minutes. When finished, the top should look set and an inserted toothpick should come out clean or with melted chocolate (but not gooey batter). Baking for longer will make the bars more cake-like in texture and less gooey.
  • Cool in the pan for at least an hour. If you lined the pan, you can lift the bars out of the pan using the overhang of parchment and place on a cutting board to slice. If you simply greased the pan, slice in the pan.

Notes

  1. Bananas: Use brown, spotty bananas. Cut out any bruises before mashing and measure after mashing. 
  2. Baking Powder and Baking Soda: There is no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe by design so that the bars are dense and slightly gooey. If you prefer a slightly more cake-like texture, add in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. 
  3. Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Because of the moisture of the bananas, these are often best stored in the fridge. 
  4. Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 bar, assuming the pan is sliced into 9 large bars. You can likely get 12 bars from this recipe. 

Nutrition

Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 402IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg