It’s easy to make Banana Chocolate Chip Bars (w/ cream cheese frosting) for those you love! They’re moist & delicious- you’re gonna love ’em!
Today I want to share with you a yummy recipe I use to make banana chocolate chip bars. I’ve made other recipes over the years, but this one is my “go to” now. I made a very slight “tweak” to a great banana bar recipe (CAN YOU SAY CHOCOLATE?), and have gotten rave reviews for these dessert treats ever since!
The addition of mini chocolate chips, plus using 4 ripe bananas and sour cream in the batter, adds to the flavor, and the “moistness” of these yummy bars. They are so good, so I wanted to share the recipe here on the blog. They don’t take too long at all to prepare (only about 20 minutes prep.) Here’s how to make them:
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page.
Prepare The Batter
Beat butter and granulated sugar together in medium sized mixing bowl (or in a stand mixer). Once it’s creamy and well-blended, add the eggs, ONE AT A TIME to the bowl, beating well after each egg is added. Now add vanilla extract and sour cream to the batter, and beat well, to fully incorporate these ingredients.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, salt and baking soda. STIR the flour mixture into the batter, a little at a time, until all the flour has been added.
Time To Add The Bananas!
Place four really ripe bananas into a mixing bowl. You know… the browned ones with lots of spots (the ones you forgot about!). They are nice and soft… and SWEET! Mash them up with a fork until fully “smooshed”, and then add them to the batter, along with mini chocolate chips. Give the batter a good stir, to ensure all ingredients are fully combined.
Bake The Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
Now it’s time to bake ’em! Pour the batter, spreading evenly into a greased (or sprayed) 13″ x 9″ baking pan (or 15″ x 10″ jelly roll pan). Bake the banana chocolate chip bars at 350°F. for 35-40 minutes (mine took 35), if using a 13″ x 9″ pan. NOTE: If you’re using a 15″ x 10″ jelly roll pan, bake the bars at 350°F. for 22-27 minutes.
When done, the bars will be golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted into the top/middle of the bars should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the banana chocolate chip bars cool completely. You can make the cream cheese frosting while they cool.
Frost The Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
While the bars cool, make the frosting. It’s easy! Place softened cream cheese, softened butter, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. Beat these three ingredients together until fully blended. Add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating as you add it, until the frosting becomes creamy. This only takes a few minutes.
Spread the frosting over the top of the completely cooled banana chocolate chip bars, and then sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired. I can’t resist, so I sprinkle about 3 Tablespoons of mini chocolate chips over the top. It’s an optional step, but it sure looks yummy. Let the bars sit for a few minutes to let the frosting slightly firm up, then slice them up!
Time To Eat!
If making these banana chocolate chip bars in a 13″ x 9″ pan (that’s how I make ’em), you can cut them into 24 small portions. If making in a jellyroll pan, you will get approx. 36 servings. The banana bars are moist, absolutely delicious, and filled with flavor. And that cream cheese frosting… whoa… it’s absolutely scrumptious!
I filled several plates with a few of these bars, and delivered them to four of our neighbors as a surprise treat. They got rave reviews! Trust me… I could have eaten the entire batch (they’re sooo good), but decided to share with others, rather than sharing with my hips (wink, wink)!
We love these yummy dessert bars, and I am confident you will, too. I hope you have the opportunity to make them for those you love. Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you will visit again soon. Have a great day!
Looking For More BAR COOKIE Recipes?
You can find all of my bar cookie recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few you will enjoy, including:
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Recipe adapted from Terri, at: greatgrubdelicioustreats.com/banana-bars-with-cream-cheese-frosting/
It's easy to make Banana Chocolate Chip Bars (w/ cream cheese frosting) for those you love! They're moist and delicious- you're gonna love 'em!
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 medium RIPE bananas , mashed
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13 x 9 baking pan or 15 x 10 jelly roll pan with non-stick spray.
Beat softened butter and sugar in medium bowl until creamy. Add eggs (one at a time), beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream; beat well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. STIR flour mixture into the batter, a little at a time, until combined. Next, add mashed bananas and chocolate chips to batter; stir until fully combined.
Spread batter evenly into prepared 13" x 9" pan (or 15" x 10" jelly roll pan). Bake at 350°F. for 35-40 minutes (for a 13x9 pan) or for 22-27 minutes (in jelly roll pan). When done, the bars should be golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted into the top of the bars should come out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let bars cool completely before frosting.
Place (softened) cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat together until fully combined and smooth. Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, beating after each addition, until creamy.
Spread frosting over cooled banana bars; sprinkle with additional chocolate chips (optional), if desired. Let rest for a few minutes to let frosting slightly firm up, then cut into bars and serve! (24 servings for 9 x 13 pan, and 36 servings for 15 x 10 pan). Enjoy!
NOTES: Caloric calculation was made based on 24 servings (9 x 13 pan). If making 36 servings (in 15 x 10 jelly roll pan), the calorie calculation reduces to approx. 195 calories per serving. **Additional 3 Tbsp. mini chocolate chips (for garnish on top) are optional, and were not included in either caloric calculation.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
Very delicious… I spilt the batter in half. Pour one half of the batter in the pan, then I pipe in half of the the cream cheese frosting add the other half of the batter on top, then after it cools I put the rest of the frosting on….