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Banana Bread Brownies

Banana bread brownies with a fudgy, dense banana bar crumb and a crinkled top crust, baked in a 9x13 pan. Brown butter banana bars get a warm brown butter glaze poured over so it soaks in and sets as a sweet coating.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread brownie batter
  • 3 bananas Use ripe bananas, mashed until mostly smooth.
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Brown and cool slightly before mixing.
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs Large eggs, room temperature helps keep batter smooth.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup chocolate chips
Brown butter glaze
  • 3 tbsp butter Brown the butter separately for the glaze.
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the banana bars
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan.
  2. Brown the butter in a saucepan until golden and nutty smelling, then remove from heat and cool slightly.
  3. Whisk the browned butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the mashed bananas until smooth.
  4. Fold in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips.
  5. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs and the top looks set.
Make and add the glaze
  1. Brown the glaze butter, whisk it with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and pourable.
  2. Pour the warm glaze over the warm bars and let it set before slicing, so it soaks in and forms a lightly set coating.

Notes

Pro tip: for the crinkled, slightly crackly top, don’t overmix after the flour goes in—stop when you no longer see dry streaks. Store covered at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze baked bars (well wrapped) for up to 2 months. For a dietary swap, use gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour to make the bars gluten-free (texture may be slightly softer).