Banana bread brownies have the gratifying density and moistness of a brownie, the old-fashioned, homey flavor of banana bread, and the sky-high reaches of a banana sheet cake. I folded in toasted walnuts for warmth and crunch, then topped the brownies off with brown butter frosting, which I didn’t think they needed…until I tasted it and realized that I couldn’t possibly live without it and neither should you. You’ll need 1 cup of mashed ripe banana for this recipe, which comes out to be about 3 medium bananas, and you can make the brownies with fresh bananas or frozen. Anytime I have ripe bananas that we don’t use right away, I peel, chop, and freeze them, so while I don’t always have fresh, ripe bananas on hand, our freezer is almost always stashed with them. If you do the same, see the tips below for how to bake with frozen bananas. And just in case you do still want to bake banana bread (or just have an especially hefty supply of ripe bananas): try this Healthy Banana Bread, this Oatmeal Banana Bread, or these Healthy Banana Muffins. Enjoy every bite, then please do yourself a favor and save these banana bread brownies for a (very near) future baking project. If you like banana bread, you’ll love this blondie brownie-inspired version!
How to Make Banana Bread Brownies
You’ll notice these banana bread brownies are made with no sour cream, a deviation from other recipes I found online. Since sour cream isn’t something we have in our refrigerator regularly, I decided to see if I could omit it and use more bananas instead. SUCCESS! These banana bread brownies are still mega moist, and leaving out the sour cream allows the natural sweetness of the bananas to shine. As with all of my healthy dessert recipes, I used more wholesome, natural ingredients in these banana bread blondies anywhere I could without sacrificing flavor. You’ll find whole grains, honey, and the natural sweetness of the bananas themselves.
The Ingredients
Banana. Bananas bring natural sweetness, happy, familiar flavors, and moisture to baked goods. You’ll love the way they blend seamlessly with the other ingredients in these blondies. Plus, bananas are packed with potassium and fiber. Flour. To make these blondies more wholesome, I used a combination of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour, which offers whole grain benefits like additional fiber and nutrients. You won’t even notice the swap. Brown Butter. Browning butter intensifies its flavor (so it tastes even more buttery!) and adds a delightfully nutty nuance. Those cute brown specs in the frosting? That’s the browned butter bits. Once you taste it, you’ll want to brown butter everything. Honey. It stands in for most of the sugar and tastes magical with bananas and cinnamon. Brown Sugar. A key ingredient for making blondie-style brownies like these. Cinnamon. A dash of cinnamon in banana bread anything is mandatory. Fact. Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Baking soda is necessary anytime you are using honey in place of all or some of the sugar in a recipe (in baking science, it reacts with the honey’s acidity). Because I like my bar desserts like this one to be sky-high and ultra thick, I also added baking powder to help the brownies rise.
The Directions
How to Use Frozen Bananas in Baking
Never toss an overripe banana, even if you don’t plan to bake with it right away. Instead, freeze it! Bananas can last in the freezer for 3 months or even longer, and you can use them in baking.
To Freeze Bananas. Peel your banana, and chop it into 1/2 to 1-inch slices. Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and place it in the freezer until the slices are frozen solid. Then, add your slices to a freezer-safe ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. (Confession: Sometimes I just toss all of my banana slices into a bag without freezing them flat. They form a big banana lump that I have to force apart. You can decide which route is more worth the effort.) To Use Frozen Bananas in Baking. Let your frozen banana slices thaw in the refrigerator (or if you forget, heat them up in the microwave very slowly). Once they’re thawed, drain off the excess moisture and juices. Mash and use as directed.
Recipe Variations
Banana Bread Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting. Instead of the brown butter frosting called for in this recipe, use the cream cheese frosting from this Pumpkin Sheet Cake. You will only need about 1/2 the amount of cream cheese frosting (unless you are doubling this blondie recipe and baking it in a 9×13-inch pan). Banana Bread Brownies without Eggs. Swap the egg for a flax egg or for an additional 1/4 cup mashed ripe banana. (**Note: I have not yet tested these methods, but I do think they have a good chance of working. If you experiment, I’d love to hear how it goes!). Chocolate Banana Bread Brownies. Replace the walnuts with 2/3 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. Gluten Free Banana Bread Brownies. Swap 1:1 GF flour for both the all-purpose and white whole wheat flour. To Bake in a 9×13-inch Pan: Double the recipe, extending the baking time by a few minutes as needed (do start checking around 20 minutes though!).
Storage Tips
To Store. Store brownies in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To Freeze. Place brownies (frosted or unfrosted) in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Sweet Recipes to Make with Ripe Bananas
Peanut Butter Banana Cookies Banana Bundt Cake Chocolate Banana Muffins Banana Bars Banana Ice Cream
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
Rimmed Baking Sheet. Perfect for toasting the walnuts. Baking Pan. Perfect corners and no sticking. I love this pan so much, I own two. Rubber Spatula. Sturdy and ideal for both baking and cooking.
These banana bread brownies are a new dessert recipe in our family of two, but I know that they are going to be one I make again and again. Even Ben, whose dessert preferences are notoriously limited to burned chocolate chip cookies—don’t get me started—and cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream, was a big fan, which in our house, is a BIG DEAL. I hope these banana bread-meets-brownie bars are smash in your family too!
