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–+ servings
Three peanut butter banana bars with chocolate chips stacked on counter next to ripe bananas and chocolate chips.
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4.96 from 21 votes

Peanut Butter Banana Bars

Made with rich peanut butter, sweet bananas, and decadent chocolate chips, these Banana Chocolate Chip Bars are extremely easy to make and irresistibly good.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Author: Kristen Chidsey

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 large overripe bananas mashed
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole white wheat flour see note
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt if your peanut butter is unsalted

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or grease well.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Add the egg, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
    Large mixing bowl with peanut butter, banana, honey, egg, and vanilla mixed together.
  • In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. (Add ¼ teaspoon of salt if your peanut butter is unsalted.) Add in the chocolate chips and toss to coat the chocolate chips with the flour.
    Mixing bowl with dry ingredients mixed together with chocolate chips.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter and banana mixture and gently fold together until the flour is fully moistened. Do not overmix.
    Mixing bowl showing wet and dry ingredients folded together.
  • Spread the batter out evenly in the prepared baking dish, it is a thick batter.
    Banana peanut butter bar batter spread out in 8x8 metal baking dish lined with parchment paper.
  • 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.
    Banana peanut butter bars with chocolate chip baked in 8x8 metal baking dish lined with parchment paper.
  • 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, just cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Flour: Feel free to swap the whole white flour, which is whole grain, with all-purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. 
Storage: Once cooled, store the bars in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. 
Freeze: Flash freeze the prepared, sliced bars on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen to the touch, transfer the bars to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature for a couple of hours before enjoying.
Add Nuts: If you want to add a bit of texture to the chocolate chip banana bars, add up to ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts to the recipe when you add the chocolate chips.
Egg-Free: Mix together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes. Use in place of the egg.
Dairy-Free: Simply use dairy-free chocolate chips or omit the chocolate chips.
Double the Recipe: This recipe can be doubled easily. Bake in a 9x13 pan for 22-28 minutes at 350℉.

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
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