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Brown Butter Banana Bars topped with vanilla bean frosting are similar in texture to a brown butter brownie but have the great flavor of a moist banana bread.
This recipe makes one large sheet pan of banana bars, so it’s a great dessert for a potluck or party because it makes so many. The butter, sour cream, and mashed ripe banana all give these dessert bars a flavorful moist texture and the walnuts add a great crunch.
If you love different brownies and bars, you’ll really enjoy my banana bread brownies, pumpkin swirl brownies, beet brownies, and brown butter brownies.
What do they taste like?
This is one of those recipes where you take your first bite and pause. You pause because you cannot believe how wonderfully incredible the morsel melting on your tongue tastes.
I dare those few crazy people who don’t like bananas to try these banana bars and tell me they’re not some of the most delicious treats they’ve ever enjoyed. I dare them.
These have that classic banana bread flavor that we all love, but the texture is more dense and it definitely feels more like a dessert than a breakfast treat. Especially with that frosting!
This is one of those recipes that is passed down from one generation to the next simply because it is a classic comfort food dessert.
The frosting is equally delicious.
These bars are definitely mouthwatering on their own, but when topped with brown butter vanilla bean frosting… heaven.
I know the cost of vanilla beans has skyrocketed in recent years, but I guarantee it is worth it in this frosting recipe. Go ahead. Splurge.
I decided to use brown butter in both the banana bars as well as the frosting because it adds a subtle nutty flavor. This goes perfectly with banana-walnut-anything.
Guess what… they freeze well too.
Worried about having too many frosted banana bars? Don’t be.
Just bake the banana bars, allow them to fully cool, smother them in frosting, and slice into individual bars.
To freeze, I prefer to set them in the freezer uncovered for about 30 minutes to allow them to get really cold and hard. That way, when you wrap them, the frosting won’t stick. My preferred method is to first wrap them in freezer paper and then place them in a plastic freezer bag with all of the air squeezed out.
That way I can grab a single banana bar whenever I want one and then just return the rest to the freezer when done.
These are great to take to parties because they slice into perfect little pieces as with my Homemade Lemon Bars or Orange Bars.
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Ingredients
Banana Bars:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 cups bananas mashed, about 3 large or 4 small
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 vanilla beans split lengthwise
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk or half and half more or less depending on desired thickness
Instructions
To make the banana bars:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Whisk frequently, scraping the bottom. As the butter foams, continue whisking and scraping to release any brown bits that may stick to the bottom. Once the butter has sufficiently browned (not burned) and smells heavenly, remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 15½ x 10½ inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper or grease with butter.
- Add browned butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup sour cream, and 2 eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for about a minute. Scrape sides, add 1 1/2 cups bananas and 1 tablespoon vanilla, and continue to mix on low for another 30 seconds.
- In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the wet. Start mixing on low speed just to combine and then flash on high speed for about 10 seconds to fully mix. Scrape sides, add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, and mix to combine.
- Spread batter in pan and bake in preheated oven until light brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
To make the frosting:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 1/2 cup unsalted butter with the 2 vanilla beans. Whisk frequently, scraping the bottom as well as the insides out of the vanilla bean. As the butter foams, continue whisking and scraping to release any brown bits that may stick to the bottom. Once the butter has sufficiently browned (not burned) and smells heavenly, remove from heat. Remove vanilla bean pods from butter and scrape and remaining seeds using a sharp pairing knife to return to the butter.
- Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer, beat browned vanilla bean butter with the 3 cups confectioner's sugar. Start slow to incorporate and then turn the speed up to medium and then high until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- One tablespoon at a time, add the 3 tablespoons milk or half and half (I used half and half) and continue beating the frosting until you've reached the desired consistency.
Frost and serve:
- Allow bars to fully cool before you frost with brown butter vanilla bean frosting and cut into individual servings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in January 2016 and has recently been updated for your reading pleasure.
Bit confused, your recipe calls for 1/2 cup unsalted butter, which you brown. In the directions you take the browned butter (1/2 cup) and combine it with the eggs, sour cream and sugar. Then at the end of the directions you are adding 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cut unsalted butter. So are you using a full cup of butter and only browning half of it?
I’m soooooo sorry for the mistake! I’m in the process of having my son go through and update all the recipes so that the ingredients are in the instructions, and this appears to be a mistake. He added that second butter to the cake when it should have been part of the frosting. I’m updating now. Many apologies!