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Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

Chocolate chip banana bars that bake into soft, chewy sheet cake bars with a golden, slightly crinkled top and chocolate chips melted across the surface. Loaded with mashed ripe bananas and a divided amount of chocolate chips for gooey pockets in every slice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate chip banana bars
  • 3 bananas Use ripe bananas for natural sweetness and soft texture.
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Softened to beat smoothly with sugar.
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar Packed for deeper caramel flavor.
  • 1 large egg Room temperature helps incorporate evenly.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Use 1 cup for folding into batter.
  • 0.5 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Use remaining chips for scattering on top.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 baking pan or line with parchment.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
  3. Stir in the mashed bananas until fully incorporated.
Combine dry and add chips
  1. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined.
  2. Fold in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
  3. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and scatter the remaining chocolate chips across the top.
Bake and cool
  1. Bake at 350°F for 18–22 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  2. Cool completely before cutting into bars for clean slices and the right chewy texture.

Notes

Pro tip: mash bananas thoroughly (no big chunks) so the bars bake up soft and evenly banana-scented. Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; warm briefly for a softer bite. Freeze bars up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge. For a dairy-light swap, use plant-based butter in the same amount; texture stays chewy but flavor will be slightly different.