Banana Bars With Brown Butter Frosting

5 from 2 votes

Banana Bars With Brown Butter Frosting

These moist banana bars with brown butter frosting are the perfect treat—rich banana flavor, tangy cream cheese, and nutty browned butter in every bite.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 261kcal

Author: Olivia & Annie

Ingredients

For the cake

2 medium mashed bananas (2 medium mashed bananas is about 1 cup)
¼ cup melted butter
½ cup unsweetened Greek yogurt
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add the melted butter, Greek yogurt, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Whisk together until combined.
Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until just combined.
Spray or grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour the mixture into the dish and evenly spread the batter. Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.
While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Let the butter melt and continue to simmer until the butter turns golden brown and has small golden brown bits at the bottom. Remove the butter from the heat and let it cool.
Once the butter has cooled, add the cream cheese and browned butter to a mixing bowl or Kitchenaid stand mixer. Beat them together until very light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, pinch of salt, and powdered sugar. Mix the frosting until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Let the cake cool before evenly spreading the frosting on top.

Notes

Recipe notes:

Save time/prep ahead:
- Brown the butter ahead: Make browned butter up to 2 days early; store in the fridge and bring to room temp before frosting.
- Freeze mashed bananas: Peel, mash, and freeze overripe bananas; thaw when ready to bake.
- Prep dry ingredients: Combine flour mixture in advance; store in an airtight container.
- Bake ahead: Bars stay moist; bake the night before, cool, wrap tightly, and frost the next day.
- Freeze bars: Freeze cut or whole bars (frosted or unfrosted) wrapped well; thaw in fridge, then bring to room temp.
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Banana Bars With Brown Butter Frosting." The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.

Nutrition