Banana Bread Brownies
These banana bread brownies taste like bananas but are baked in brownie bars and topped with a creamy frosting.
Servings: 24 brownies
Calories: 230kcal
Ingredients
Brownies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 ripe medium bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
Frosting
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup half and half cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, mashed banana, buttermilk and vanilla and mix well.
- Gradually add the flour mixture into the banana mixture, mixing until well combined.
- Stir in the chopped walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, until the edges are golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
Frosting
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until it is a golden brown, and has a nutty aroma. Immediately, remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar, half and half cream and vanilla.
- Using a silicone spatula spread the frosting over the warm banana brownies.
Notes
- If you don't want to wait for the perfect window when your bananas are perfectly ripe for baking, you can follow these instructions. To ripen bananas in the oven, bake them on parchment paper on a baking sheet at 300°F for 30 to 40 minutes until they are darkly blackened and soft to the touch. You can also speed up the cooling process by opening them and gently mashing them in a big bowl to help heat escape more quickly. Be sure to let them cool before adding to your batter.
- These banana bread brownies are moist and dense. If you prefer a more cake-like texture, bake them for 25 minutes or until there are no crumbs when you test with a toothpick.
- Start making the frosting when you remove the banana bread brownies from the oven so that they will be warm but not too hot when you frost them.
Nutrition
Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 251IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg