Peanut Butter Banana Bars

4.96 from 21 votes

Made with ripe bananas, creamy peanut butter, whole grains, and melty chocolate chips, these Peanut Butter Banana Bars are soft, satisfying, and incredibly easy to make.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup mashed bananas ~2 large overripe bananas
1 large egg at room temperature
½ cup creamy, all-natural peanut butter at room temperature
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white whole wheat flour or 120 grams
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup chocolate chips
¼ teaspoon table salt if using unsalted peanut butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉ and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or grease well with butter.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Quickly measure to ensure there is a full 1 cup of mashed bananas. To the bananas, add 1 large egg, ½ cup creamy, all-natural peanut butter, ¼ cup honey, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and whisk until well until combined.
In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup white whole wheat flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon table salt (omit salt if your peanut butter is salted). Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips.
Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips to the peanut butter and banana mixture and gently fold together until the flour is fully moistened and there are no longer streaks of flour. Do not overmix. The batter will be thicker than muffin or cake batter.
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and use a spatula to spread it out into an even layer.
Bake the bars until lightly golden and the center is set. This is 17-20 minutes if using a metal pan or 19-23 minutes if using a glass pan.
Cool the banana bars on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then carefully remove the parchment paper from the pan to cool the bars completely. Slice into 12 bars and serve. Note: If you just greased your pan instead of using parchment paper, do not try to remove the bars from the pan. Simply cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Video

Notes

Bake Time: Keep in mind that the bake time will vary not only based on your oven but also on your baking dish. A glass baking dish will require a bit longer bake time than a metal pan.

Bananas: Select overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the most sweetness.

Flour: All-purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend works in place of the white whole wheat.

Egg-Free: Combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes, then add to the wet ingredients in place of the egg.

Dairy-Free: Use your favorite dairy-free chocolate chips or omit altogether.

Peanut Butter: Natural peanut butter that needs refrigeration is best for this recipe. If using shelf-stable peanut butter, you may need to thin out the batter with 1-2 tablespoons of milk, and the bars will not be quite as fluffy.

Add Nuts: Fold up to ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts into the batter along with (or in place of) the chocolate chips.

Double the Recipe: Double the ingredients and bake at 350℉ in a 9x13 baking dish lined with parchment paper for 22-28 minutes.

Storage: Store cooled bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container, separated by sheets of parchment paper for up to 5 days. Alternatively, freeze individual bars in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months and defrost at room temperature or in the refrigerator as desired.

Nutrition