Foodie Fridays: Chocolate Banana Bars
All of these posts about knee socks and awesome boots have me fixated on the beautiful fall weather happening outside. I can’t wait for the trees to be flaming with color, and for it to be time to pull out the extra blankets for the bed. In the meantime, I’ve been cranking up the oven. One of the things I truly love about fall is to have the opportunity again to fill the house with the wonderful smell of baked goods (that and wrapping myself up in my favorite flannel shirt and grabbing a cup of steaming hot coffee on a cool morning). What are your favorite parts of fall?
Of all the things that I bake, at the top of my list is anything banana. Why? It’s all about the wonderful aromas that come wafting from the oven. Banana bread, banana muffins, banana cake… and now these Chocolate Banana Bars. I’ve held out against combining cocoa and bananas for quite a long time and now I’m really not sure why. Sure, I’ve added chocolate chips to banana muffins and it turned out great, but there’s always been something keeping me from whipping up a true chocolate-banana combo. Until now. These are wonderful, and they’re especially wonderful warm from the oven. Welcome fall into your house with these soon!
Chocolate Banana Bars
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and bananas, mixing until completely combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well, scraping down the bowl once.
Divide batter in half. Add the cocoa to one portion of the batter. Spread the chocolate portion in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spoon remaining batter on top. Swirl gently with butter knife and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan and then cut.
Yield: 18-24 servings, depending on size
Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com
Closest I’ve ever come to chocolate and bananas was drizzling hot fudge over banana slices
These look great, THANKS!
My mouth is watering from that picture. I just printed the recipe and will be trying it soon. I always make Tyler Florence’s banana bread recipe and exchange the nuts for chocolate chips and it is pretty much amazing. My husband craves it. This looks like it is going to be along those lines. Yum.
Thanks, ladies! If you make them, please be sure to come back and let us know what you thought!