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Banana Bread Brownies

Banana bread brownies with fudgy banana bars, a crinkled top crust, and a brown butter banana glaze poured over while warm for deep moisture. Dense, rich, and baked until just a few moist crumbs cling to the toothpick.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana bread brownie batter
  • 3 ripe bananas mashed
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter browned and cooled slightly
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup chocolate chips
Brown butter glaze
  • 3 tbsp butter browned
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Bake the banana bars
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan so the bars release cleanly after baking.
  2. Brown the unsalted butter in a saucepan until golden and nutty smelling, then remove from heat and cool slightly for smoother mixing.
  3. Whisk the browned butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract into the mashed ripe bananas until smooth and glossy.
  4. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips to keep the batter thick.
  5. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 25–30 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Glaze and finish
  1. Brown the 3 tablespoons butter for the glaze in a saucepan, then whisk with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
  2. Pour the brown butter glaze over the warm bars so it soaks in, then slice when set.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the first batch of browned butter just until warm, not hot, so the eggs don’t scramble—then spread the batter evenly for a uniform crinkled top. Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze baked bars in a freezer-safe container up to 2 months. For a different take, swap half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour if you want a nuttier, denser texture.