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These easy moist delicious Banana Chocolate Chip Bars are loaded with banana flavor and chocolate chips!
We love this delicious, easy dessert when I’m craving chocolate – it is a huge family favorite, and easy enough kids can help make it!
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
Best Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
If there is one thing I crave over and over, it’s ooey, gooey, chocolatey banana bread. I love the smell of fresh baked banana bread – and how delicious and moist it comes out of the oven.
This Chocolate Chip Banana Bar recipe brings together the flavors of banana bread with a buttery cookie base for a delicious banana chocolate chip blondie recipe the whole family will love.
These banana chocolate chip bars are more like a cookie than banana bread – they are denser, moist, and bursting with ripe banana flavor. These chocolate chip banana bars take just one bowl and less than 30 minutes to make – no separating wet and dry ingredients, just mix, bake, and enjoy!
To Make These Chocolate Chip Banana Bars You’ll Need:
These baked chocolate chip banana bars are so easy – you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand!
- Bananas – you want to use as ripe of bananas as possible for a strong banana flavor. I like to wait till mine turn brown then freeze them for when I am ready to make a batch of these.
- Brown sugar – brown sugar has some molasses flavor in it which makes it ideal for a rich bar recipe.
- Butter – use softened butter to give these bars a rich fat that they need to come together.
- Milk – milk will give the batter a good consistency and richness. I always use whole milk and try to let it sit out for a few minutes before adding it to the mix so it doesn’t split the butter into dipping dots.
- Eggs – eggs are high in protein and will bring these chocolate chip banana bars together and give them a great texture.
- Flour – I use all-purpose flour for this recipe since it has a good amount of protein and will add needed structure to these bars.
- Baking soda – baking soda will give a good texture and lift to the bars.
- Vanilla extract – vanilla extract adds a floral lift to these banana bars that you just cant get any other way.
- Salt – use a fine grain sea salt for the best flavor.
- Cinnamon – cinnamon adds an earthy bite to these bars. I love cinnamon with banana, and it works beautifully here.
- Chocolate chips – I use semi-sweet chocolate chips here but you can use milk or dark chocolate chips.
Once you have assembled the ingredients use the following method
Make the mixture. Mash peeled ripe bananas in a large bowl. Add in butter, eggs, and brown sugar and cream together. Next add in vanilla, baking soda, salt, and mix well. Fold in flour and mix until there are no lumps – but to not overwork. Add chocolate chips in right at the end, mixing through thoroughly.
Bake. Add ingredients to a well prepared pan and bake in oven at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (minus melted chocolate.)
Cool and cut. Let banana bars cool completely before removing from pan. Slide a knife around the side of the bars when still hot to make removing from the pan easier. (If you’re comfortable sliding it under the bars a bit too, it helps to prevent any sticking – but this can also make your banana bars break, so go easy on it.) When banana bars have set and cooled, slice into 12 bars. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
Use brown sugar. You may have noticed that this recipe doesn’t use any white sugar. Brown sugar is higher in molasses content which gives a richer caramel flavor so if you have it, make sure you use brown sugar.
Butter substitutes. This recipe calls for butter instead of oil. If you only have vegetable oil or coconut oil on hand, they can be substituted in place of butter – but I like the salty richness butter brings these bars – so they almost taste like banana blondies. Feel free to substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
Other Easy Substitutions:
- Use gluten free all purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio
- Use applesauce in place of butter or oil for a lighter version
- Use peanut butter chips and chocolate chips for a peanut butter banana bar recipe that will delight the whole family.
- Mix in 2 tbsp peanut butter for a delicious bar everyone loves.
FAQs
Place in plastic bag, or wrap serving plate with plastic wrap. If storing sliced stacked on top of each other, I like to cut small squares of parchment paper and stack them on top of the parchment paper, so squares don’t stick to each other too much. Keep at room temperature for 3-4 days.
To freeze place banana bars in a plastic bag or wrap each one individually in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to four months. To defrost, let sit in the refrigerator or in a cool dry place to thaw – once thawed, I like to pop in the oven for about 5-10 minutes just to warm a bit!
Other Delicious Desserts You’ll Love
If you love these amazingly decadent chocolate banana bars, please check out some of my other favorite easy dessert recipes!
Some of my all time favorites like the best sugar cookies, gooey fudge brownies, and perfect baked blondies – as well as some other fun baked desserts:
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Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
Equipment
- FLAIROSOL OLIVIA. The Original, Advanced Oil Sprayer for Cooking, Salad Dressings and More, Continuous Spray with Portion Control, Trusted by Professional Chefs. Patented Design and Technology. (Glass Bottle, White Print) 130ml/4.4 oz
Ingredients
- 5 very ripe bananas
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a square 9×9 baking pan with shortening, butter, or nonstick baking spray.
- Mash peeled ripe bananas in a large bowl.
- Add in butter, eggs, and brown sugar and cream together.
- Stir in milk.
- Add in vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and mix well.
- Fold in flour and mix until there are no lumps – but to not overwork.
- Add chocolate chips in right at the end, mixing through thoroughly.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish, and bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean (you might get melted chocolate on the toothpick, disregard that.)
- Let cool completely before cutting.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks yummy I really want to make this, however I am confused which flour do you use is it self raising flour or plain? I do get frustrated when a recipe dose not mention which flour to use…I cannot wait to make this I’m ready…
Will go back and add that in – it is All purpose flour.
One suggestion: cream the butter & sugar first, then add the eggs. I also added 2 tbsp peanut butter.
Yum!! And so easy. I used an 11 x 7″ pan. Perfect!