This is one of my oldest banana chocolate chip bar recipes, and it was long overdue for a photo refresh. As I gathered ingredients, it occurred to me that brown butter aka browned butter might be a fun swap, so I'm officially reintroducing them as Brown Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bars.
Brown Butter vs. Melted Butter
My old notes describe the original non-brown-butter version as "the richest, moistest banana bars ever" -- quite the superlatives for humble banana bars. So if you are not in the mood for browning butter or just get tired browned butter this, brown butter that, melt the butter and make the bars the traditional way. To compare and contrast, the banana bars made with the brown butter are slightly chewier and more like brownies whereas the regular melted butter version are smoother textured and just slightly cakier.
Nuts and Chocolate Chips
Nuts are optional, but they really balance out the sweetness of the bars. Chocolate chips are not optional, but you could definitely use caramel flavored chips or butterscotch. I used a mixture of bittersweet and milk chocolate in this last batch and really loved how the milk chocolate went with the banana.
8-Inch Square Pan
My old recipe called for a 9-inch square, but an 8-inch pan is so much more convenient. Parchment paper is optional, though it's useful for lifting the bars out and clean slicing. If you use parchment, grease the parchment and with some extra salted butter to add more flavor and crispness to the edges. Bonus: You can make loaf pan banana bars too! I tested that pan size at the last minute (using 2 tablespoons of egg) and it worked perfectly with even more crispy edges.
Bake Times
A lot of really old recipes seem to have longer bake times. The times I've tested these in my current oven have all been between 27 and 30 minutes. The top should be golden brown. The loaf pan banana bars took between 25 and 27 minutes.
Cooling, Freezing, Storing
These types of banana bars always taste great after being frozen and thawed. Or at least to me. I like solidified chocolate chunks. If you're more into warm and gooey bars, you can serve them about 10 minutes after baking. Store in the freezer or covered for up to 3 days at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Recipe
Brown Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter plus extra for pan (84 grams)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla
- 2 large ripe banana, mashed (200 grams)
- ½ cup oats, old fashioned or quick
- ½ cup milk and/or bittersweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped chopped and toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment and grease generously with butter. This is for flavor.
- Cut the stick of butter into chunks, put it in a saucepan and melt it over medium heat, swirling often, just until it starts to form browned bits. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together browned butter and sugar, then whisk in egg and vanilla, followed by mashed banana.
- Stir together flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add flour mixture and oats to mixing bowl and stir until halfway blended. If your mixture is warm let it cool slightly, then stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
- Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for about 28 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely. Lift from pan and cut into squares.
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