Banana Bars with Browned Butter Frosting
These soft, moist banana bars are everything a banana bar should be; topped with a simple browned butter frosting, they are irresistible.
I promised things were going to get awfully yummy after the simple little tutorial on browned butter. And here’s where I fulfill that promise, Part 1.
Banana bars are a funny thing. They are often the last treat I think to make when I need to bring bars to a potluck or event, because, well, brownies.
But when I do make them (or rather, when Brian begs me to make them since they are one of his favorite treats in the history of ever), I’m reminded why they are so amazing.
That revelation usually comes after I’ve sliced off thin nibbles of the finished bars over and over until before I know it, too large a chunk is gone to blame it on a mishap during baking.
Banana bars are so easy to make, they use up the pesky spotted bananas sitting on your counter, and I’m telling you, they make people really, really happy. Like, give you warm hugs you don’t really want kind of happy. It’s weird.
Similar to the banana cream pie phenomenon with many men I know. Because I still have my pride, I’m not even going to go there with a “going bananas” remark but I’m not going to lie, I kind of want to because it seems so appropriate right now. You can thank me later for resisting.
These banana bars skyrocket in deliciousness because the frosting – a creamy, smidgeon of a layer – starts with browned butter.
So you get the soft, moist, cakey banana bar topped with a creamy, almost caramelly layer of sweet frosting and each bite will make you so, so happy banana bars are in your life.
My Aunt Marilyn is the genius behind this recipe and since she passed it on to me a month or so ago, I’ve made these bars at least half a dozen times. They are so easy to whip up that it’s almost more work not to make them.
Plus. Browned butter. I’m telling you. It’s the key to success here.
And if you want to get all wild and crazy, why don’t you go ahead and brown the butter for the banana bar layer, too. And then let me know and I’ll stop by for a bar or five…and in return, perhaps a hug?
One Year Ago: Thin and Chewy Butterfinger Cookies
Two Years Ago: Pesto and Sausage Baked Ziti
Three Years Ago: Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin
Banana Bars with Browned Butter Frosting
Ingredients
Banana Bars:
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) salted butter, softened or even melted and cooled
- ¼ cup (53 g) lightly packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ – 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, (about 2 large bananas)
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Browned Butter Frosting:
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter
- 2 cups (228 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan (see note) with cooking spray and set aside.
- For the bars, in a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown and granulated sugars, sour cream, egg, and vanilla until well-mixed, 1-2 minutes.
- Blend in the bananas and mix.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix for just a minute or two until combined.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back to the touch.
- While the bars are baking, make the frosting by melting the butter in a saucepan or stainless steel (not nonstick) skillet over medium heat (here’s a quick tutorial on browning butter). Bring the butter to a gentle simmer, turning the heat down if needed, until the solids lightly brown and the butter smells caramelly and fragrant. Immediately remove from the heat and add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk, whisking until smooth and creamy. Add more milk if needed to achieve a thick but spreadable consistency.
- Let the bars cool for 5-10 minutes and then dollop the frosting over the warm bars and spread in an even layer.
- Cool the bars to room temperature. Cut into squares and serve. These keep well-covered for 1-2 days at room temp or refrigerated.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe my Aunt Marilyn gave me (reduced the sugar, added in a bit of brown sugar instead of all granulated sugar, made a few minor other changes)
75 Comments on “Banana Bars with Browned Butter Frosting”
Had sour cream AND 3 ripe bananas! Printed this recipe years ago meaning to try it. Made it yesterday and it is a 5 star recipe. Easy, And tastes just irresistable- better flavor combo than cream cheese. I used an 8×8 pyrex pan sprayed w Bakers Joy. I decide by the amount of batter & vascillated here. Cut and sliced cleanly. So since they were sl thicker than a bar and would probably be called a cake- but who cares! They were insane- everyone went nuts, so thanks!
I just made this for my daughter to take to her seminary class. I tasted the brown butter frosting and I’m a bit sad they will all go with her! That frosting is delicious!. Guess I have to make another pan for our family.
Better with more banana, recipe has it a bit light.
Delicious! I’ve never made the brown butter frosting. Thank you for your step by step instructions. Very easy!
It’s fall and I want to add cinnamon to everything! Would you recommend adding it to the cake or frosting? I don’t want to overwhelm the banana flavor but I want the warmth of the spice to make it feel like fall! Thanks!
Very flavorful
On the banana bar recipe do you use cream that you sour or do you use cultured sour cream.
Thanks for your help
Virginia Johnson
Hi Virginia, I use sour cream from the store.
Any suggestions on how I can make these look fancier? We are having a bake-off for our church BBQ tomorrow and we are also moving next week so I’m trying to stick with ingredients I already have on hand. I LOVE this recipe but I feel like maybe in appearance there isn’t really a “wow” element. I was thinking maybe add chocolate feathering in the frosting? Fresh fruit on top? Thoughts??
Hmmm, I think fresh fruit would be a super easy and good idea! Or maybe even just a chocolate drizzle.
Okay, so my husband loves banana bars but to me they are always so so. Holy yum, we just made these for the 4th and they were AMAZING. Thanks for another awesome recipe Mel!
It’s an impossibly hard choice to pick a favorite recipe from your site… but this just may be it. We absolutely love this dessert, and it disappears way too quickly!
These are so good! A nice change from our usual banana bread when there’s spotty bananas to use up.
My husband LOVES these!
I add a few pinches of sea salt to the frosting.
Delicious! Thanks Mel!
I made these bars…twice in two days. We could not stop eating them! Fantastic!
They are supposed to have 5 stars. My phone messed that up.
Would this icing work on cakes?
It might – it’s a little thinner and not quite as thick and fluffy as a traditional buttercream.
I rejoice when my bananas get overripe because then I *have* to make this recipe. I enjoy watching people who try them for the first time – there’s always a look of shock because they’re so stinking delicious. That frosting…. whoa.
These are so amazing I wanted to bring them to the pinewood derby tonight but they need to be portable. I made them into mini cupcakes, spraying the liners well. They cooked 15 minutes and made just shy of 2 muffin tins, so 46 total. I 1 1/2xs the frosting. Turned out great and now I somehow need to figure out how to not eat half the cupcakes before tonight.
Made these again! I hardly ever make the same thing twice (so says my hubby!) and I will continue to make these until the end of time. They are AMAZING. Thanks for the tutorial, too, Mel.
I received a desperate plea from my 7 yr old great-nephew this week…I NEED THOSE BANANA BARS! They were to be the beginning of the school year treat and I had not gotten around to making them yet. They are done now and this recipe never disappoints. Thanks Mel.
I have made these bars many times… and love them! It’s my husbands birthday today and I was curious.. Could this possibly be used as a 9 inch layer cake? Would it hold up okay?
I haven’t ever tried that – so to be honest, I’m not sure. I think the texture of the cake would be fine this way I just don’t know if the batter is enough for a 9-inch layer cake.
Hello! I’m making these for a tailgate and I don’t want to frost them until we arrive. Is it possible to make the frosting ahead of time or will it get too hard to spread? Thanks!
I would actually frost them ahead of time – it will help keep the bars super soft and moist!
These are to die for!! I had to make more frosting cause I kept eating it!
Hands down, yummiest banana dessert I’ve ever tasted!! I did find though that I needed to add more cream than 2 Tbsp. Maybe I was too heavy handed when measuring the icing sugar. SO SO DELICIOUS.
Just made these for the first time and they were A+. Browned butter will never go out of style. I made them for a potluck and had a guy come up and ask me what was in the frosting (cream + browned butter). I made a double batch in a cookie sheet like you suggested.
Just wondering if anyone else’s bars came out more like bread texture? Thought these would be more solid.
Super great! My boyfriend saod it was love he was falling in love for a second time!❤
These were not a good bar to make after my New Year’s resolution!! They are sooo delicious! I keep taking just a smidge and now that equals about half the pan! Thanks for the recipe- a definite keeper.
What a wonderful recipe! Even without the frosting, it is much better than any banana recipe that I have ever made! First time through I tried adding a little salt to bring out the flavor of the frosting, and the second time I didn’t, and found that it wasn’t even necessary! Well done, indeed.
We make these often. They are so easy and yummy! Love the frosting!!!
I made these today and they turned out great!
Made these for Super Bowl Sunday and they were a huge hit!! My husband was a little irritated that I had not made them before 🙂 since bananas are his favorite! Everyone said they were melt in your mouth delicious! I did the browned butter in both the bars and the frosting.
Thanks for this yummy recipe…glad I had to share or it might have all been eaten by me!
What could I use as a substitute for sour cream ?
Thanks !
Sometimes plain Greek yogurt subs well.
I’m so bummed Mel, this is the first recipe of yours that hasn’t turned out for me! Despite overbaking them 10 minutes the bars are totally raw and underdone. I wonder if it’s my oven. The frosting is delicious, however.
Success. So fabulous. The frosting is definitely sweet. The recipe gives the perfect amount.
These are officially BANNED at my house! They were so incredibly delicious that I ate almost the entire pan by myself! I just couldn’t stay away from them. I even put them in the garage fridge to keep from seeing them and still couldn’t help but sneak a bite. Several times. All day. From now on, I will plan to make these only when we have company over that can take them home with them.
Just made these bars & they are really good! The browned butter frosting is what makes them, very tasty. My husband loved them too, especially the frosting, he said it has a butterscotch flavor.
I was skeptical but I had all the ingredients and a raging sweet tooth SO I made these. They were fantastic!!! They were so quick and easy and I can’t wait to make them again. The banana makes it healthy, right?
Made these tonight – the bars are delicious! I think the frosting is a little too sweet for me (that actually might be the first time I have ever said that). If I make them again I would make them in a smaller pan so the bars are thicker (I used a 9×13) and would reduce the frosting (and maybe make it more of a glaze). The flavours were great though!
Just wanted to re-comment… I LOVED these after a day or two in the fridge and then brought up to room temp in my hot hot apartment – fudgy texture and soft and amazing flavour!
Made these today, and the only reason I did was the ‘browned butter frosting’. You’ve made me a believer of it! I must say though, the banana cake part can totally hold it’s own. Moist, the banana flavor really comes through, and great texture. Overall, just the right balance of cake and frosting. So delicious! Thank you Mel, for sharing your recipes…..your site has become my go to for cooking and baking! 🙂
I made these for our company tonight, and I just “sampled” one, to make sure I was offering them good food. 😉 Like there was really any question! These turned out so fabulous! The banana part is soft and banana-y, and the frosting is great, but not too thick!
My only question is how thick is the frosting supposed to be before putting in on the warm cake. I think I made mine a little too thick. I dolloped it on the cake, then had to wait for it to soften a bit before I could spread it. I wasn’t measuring after the 2 tbsp. of cream, but it seems like it took a bit more than that?
Mmm, I’d say the frosting should be in the middle of pourable and spreadable. Does that make sense?
Can I just say – WOW!! These are incredibly easy to make and incredibly delicious to eat. We all devoured them. (AND – thank you for pushing me over the edge and finally getting me to try out making brown butter! It’s fabulous!) This is now my go-to use-up-those-old-overripe-bananas recipe. 😀
I made these the other day, and they were so delicious! That browned butter frosting is amazing, and so simple. I couldn’t believe how fast the whole recipe came together! Thanks so much for this one!
We had these tonight. Oh my deliciousness!!! I worried I’d over browned the butter for the frosting so I had to taste. And re-taste, and some more to make sure! It almost didn’t make it on the bars! My 6 year old didn’t want frosting until she licked the spoon. She wanted it then! So yummy!!!!
Looks delicious. Will give it a try.
I’m not a baker, so please forgive my ignorance. I really prefer turbinado sugar over white for flavor. Can I use it for the granulated sugar part of the recipe? I can’t wait to try these!
I haven’t tried it with turbinado sugar but I think it should work out ok and is certainly worth a try.
Mel,
These look,delicious, especially the frosting ! I’m just wondering what the difference is between these and your other banana bars that are on your site.
Thanks !
Linda
Good question, Linda – the old banana bars recipe is delicious, too. It’s slightly thicker (the bar layer) and this newer version has a little less oil and sugar.
I made these yesterday and they are delicious. It was my first time using brown butter and it was so easy and really does make a difference in the taste. Everyone thanks you especially me!
We love banana bars at our house! They are gobbled up super fast, but we have been known to freeze them on occasion. They come out a little sticky when you do this, but still super tasty. We love to sprinkle chopped pecans on the browned butter frosting. Yum!
We love banana bars at our house! They get gobbled up quickly. We like to sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the browned butter frosting. Yum!
Just made these! Thanks for the inspiration. I was looking up your sour cream banana bread recipe to make for an office breakfast tomorrow and these looked too good to pass up. I made a double batch in a 15 x 10 pan. They took about 35 minutes to bake. I doubled the frosting recipe, and it was just enough for a thin layer. Next time, I think I’ll triple the frosting so there is a wee bit more on top. These will be awesome with coffee and tea in the morning!
Sara, I’m glad you mentioned tripling the frosting layer. I just made these and followed your advice–and oh my goodness–the best! Lots of browned butter goodness on tender banana cake. Thank goodness I’m taking these to a school event. Otherwise, I might not be able to fit into my jeans tomorrow! 😉
I tried your sweet molasses bread . And almost all the rolls and bread recipes. They r the best i must say. Can you pleasecshare some other varieties like sourdough and oatmeal honey etc its just that the recipes you share are so easy yet very professional results .
Can I count eating one of these as eating a banana as a post running recovery food? Speaking of running I can’t wait to hear how the half marathon went. The suspense!
Yes! Why do I always forget about banana bars when my bananas go black?! These look like perfection and that brown butter frosting – OMG!
These banana bars look so yummy. It’s nice to have another option other than banana bread!
These sound amazing! Do you think they would freeze well?
Good question – I know the bar part would freeze well but I haven’t tried with the frosting. Certainly worth a try!
Well, now I am really regretting using up my old, dark bananas on muffins a few days ago. These bars look amazing! Hope you’re recovering nicely from the race!
These were fabulous with the browned butter. Son requested them for his birthday cake. Know what else? Snickerdoodles with browned butter are amazing. And I don’t like Snickerdoodles.
I’ve had these before! Yum! super moist!
The browned butter totally makes it over the top! Tastes like another banana treat and then “oh wow! What is that!” Amazing!
I have a recipe very similar to this that my family loves. It uses the browned butter in the frosting too and is to die for. In fact we just made them yesterday for our Sunday night treats. Yum!!
Thank you Mel and Aunt Marilyn for the nice recipe. Have a great week!
Looks and sounds so good! Thought of you all weekend. And now as I go off to work I know you must be exhausted after all the activity of the last 2 weeks.
Brown butter scares me a bit but I may throw caution into the wind and give that a try too since it’s in the title of the recipe and comes so highly recommended from you.
Glad to see your post which means you must have survived the half marathon? Hope it all went well!
Those bars look so delicious! I happen to have some spotted bananas on hand and am hoping to add this recipe to my list of things to do today.