The Best Banana Chocolate Chip Bars Recipe - easy and delicious moist banana cookie bars loaded with chocolate chips!
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!
Just Take Me To The Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bars Recipe Already!
I have readers of all levels of comfort in the kitchen on my site - so I try to provide as much information as possible into my posts because I get so many requests for it.
If you'd rather skip over all that, and get straight to the chocolate chip banana bars recipe, please scroll to the bottom of the page.
Banana Chocolate Chip Bar Substitutions
This recipe calls for brown sugar, instead of white sugar. While you could use white sugar, the rich caramel flavor is improved by brown sugar.
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 are below:
-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.
Do I Have To Separate Dry and Wet Ingredients
I am a horrible rule follower - which is in part why I don’t bake a lot.
While I understand the science of mixing dry and wet items separately and adding them in a specific order for ideal results, I just never have the patience.
Thankfully, I designed this recipe to be easily mixed in one bowl - so there is less work cleaning up after.
Simply follow the steps below to make this a one bowl banana bar recipe:
- Mash peeled ripe bananas in a large bowl.
- Add in butter, eggs, and brown sugar and cream together.
- 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.
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.)
How To Cool and Cut Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
If you've ever been frustrated by trying to cut brownies or blondies too early, you know they can break apart and crumble when cut too soon - they need time to cool and set for perfect squares.
While these banana bars aren't technically blondies - they are more similar to blondies than banana bread, and cut best when cooled.
- 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!
How To Store Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
After you've baked, cooled, and served your banana bars - and have some leftover (is that possible??), they can be stored a couple of ways for you to enjoy later.
To Freeze Banana Bars:
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!
To Store Banana Bars For Up to Four Days:
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.
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!
- 5 very ripe bananas
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon or spatula
- 9x13 baking dish or rimmed baking sheet
- Nonstick cooking spray, butter, or shortening to grease pan
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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the best easy baked dessert recipes.
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The Best Easy Chewy Sugar Cookies Ever Recipe - chewy soft sugar cookies without any complicated steps, chilling, or rolling out - in just one bowl in under 20 minutes!
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The Best Chewy Molasses Cookies Recipe – chewy, soft, and delicious molasses cookies with plenty of sweet molasses and spicy ginger flavor the whole family will love.
The Best Fudge Brownies Recipe
The Best Fudge Brownies Recipe - super simple, delicious, and easy double fudge brownies with tons of gooey hot fudge in every bite!
Easy Cadbury Mini Egg Blondies Recipe
Simple, sweet, gooey and buttery Easy Cadbury Mini Egg Blondies are the most delicious easy blondie recipe ever - with Easter favorite Cadbury Mini Eggs baked inside! This is the best easy Easter dessert ever - just mix, bake, and enjoy!
Gooey Butter Red Velvet Cake Cookies
Gooey Butter Red Velvet Cake Cookies are delicious, easy, soft and perfect for parties or when you need a treat quick - made from red velvet cake mix!
Fudgey Frozen Yogurt Brownie Sandwich
Delicious, creamy, and super-chocolatey, this fudgey frozen yogurt brownie sandwich is a sinful summer treat everyone loves!
The Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bars Recipe
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Banana Chocolate Chip Bars Recipe
The Best Banana Chocolate Chip Bars Recipe - easy and delicious moist banana cookie bars loaded with chocolate chips!
Ingredients
- 5 very ripe bananas
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a casserole dish or deep rimmed baking sheet 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!
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 253Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 42mgSodium 252mgCarbohydrates 41gFiber 2gSugar 22gProtein 4g
Nutrition is automatically calculated by Nutritionix - please verify all nutrition information independently and consult with a doctor or nutritionist for any and all medical and diet advice.
Gwen Solseth
Yum!! And so easy. I used an 11 x 7" pan. Perfect!
Susan Isaacson
Here’s hoping I can Ketoize this yummy looking desert?
Courtney ODell
Susan - we're going to be unveiling a TON of new keto recipes in the new year - and this one is on top of my list to get working. So far I don't love the results I've had, but I am still tweaking until I do!
basketball legends
This dish is really delicious. This is my favorite banana cake
Stephanie
These banana bars were perfect! So moist and delicious!
Krissy Allori
This looks so good. I can't wait to give it a try.
Sara Welch
What a perfectly decadent treat! Love the perfect balance of the bananas and chocolate; truly delicious!
Suzy
I love how this recipe is like a mashup of two very delicious recipes! Excited to see how this comes out!