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Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

Chocolate chip banana bars are soft, chewy sheet cake bars with a golden, slightly crinkled top and chocolate chips melted and glistening throughout. Made with mashed ripe bananas and an easy creamed-butter batter, they bake up like banana blondies in a single 9x13 pan.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Mashed bananas
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until smooth (a few small lumps are fine).
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Soften so it creams easily.
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar Pack firmly for best texture.
  • 1 large egg Use room temperature if possible.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Use half in the batter.
  • 0.5 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Scatter the remaining half on top.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the pan and oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 baking pan or line with parchment for easy release.
Cream butter and sugar
  1. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
Add banana
  1. Stir in the mashed bananas until fully incorporated and the mixture looks smooth and cohesive.
Combine dry ingredients
  1. Fold in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined, then fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
Fill and top with chips
  1. Spread the batter evenly into the pan and scatter the remaining chocolate chips across the top so they sit visibly on the surface.
Bake
  1. Bake for 18–22 minutes at 350°F until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool before slicing
  1. Cool completely before cutting into bars so the centers set and the chocolate chips stay intact.

Notes

Pro tip: pack the brown sugar tightly and cool the pan fully before slicing for clean, soft-chewy squares. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze baked bars up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 plant-based butter stick instead of unsalted butter.