Yield: 16 bars

Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

image of a banana chocolate chip bar that's been bitten into to show its tender and moist texture

These chocolate chip banana bars taste just like banana blondies! They're tender, moist, and the perfect way to use up ripe bananas.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
  • 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (200g)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (6g)
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
  • 1 cup mashed overripe banana - about 2 large bananas (250g)
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips, chopped (125g)

Instructions

Chocolate Chip Banana Bars (modified from Gimme Delicious)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup brown sugar with a stand mixer or hand mixer. Mix on a medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color. You can also make this batter by hand with a whisk, but the butter will need to be quite soft.
  3. Add in 1 large egg, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/2 tsp fine salt. Mix on a medium-low speed until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
  4. Mix in 1 cup of all-purpose flour and mix on low until just combined.
  5. Fold 1 cup mashed banana into the batter until they're fully incorporated.
  6. Then fold in 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate chips, saving a few to sprinkle on top of the batter before they're baked.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle a few additional bits of chocolate on top of the batter.
  8. Bake for 33-37 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, and the center is baked through. Rotate the pan halfway through to help the bars bake evenly.
  9. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. Let the bars fully cool in the pan. Once cool, gently remove the bars from the pan and cut into 16 squares using a sharp, warm knife. Wipe the blade after each cut with a paper towel to get nice, clean cuts.
  10. These bars can sit at room temperature for a few days or be covered with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

If you need to make any substitutions or swaps in this recipe, please see the section in the post above on ingredient substitutions.

Making These Chocolate Chip Banana Bars in Advance

These chocolate chip banana bars can be made in advance! They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.

Just be sure to separate them a bit and place parchment between each layer of bars! This will help prevent them from sticking to each other if they're stacked.

Doubling This Recipe

This recipe can also be doubled and made in a quarter sheet pan (9"x 13"). Bake for 37-42 minutes, or until the edges look golden brown and the center looks set.

Baking These Bars in a Different Type of Pan:

These bars bake up best in a light-colored metal pan.

However, if you need to bake these bars in a glass baking pan, reduce the baking temperature by 25 degrees (to 325 F) and bake them for about 5 minutes less. Glass doesn't heat up as quickly as metal but becomes very hot once heated up.

Nutrition Information

Yield

16

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 193Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 27mgSodium 82mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 1gSugar 19gProtein 2g