Banana Bread Bar Heaven!

This came about on a day when I was a procrastinating and wanting to experiment in the kitchen instead of work on my writing. I’ve seen this idea bopping about on the internet and, of course, had to play with it a bit. 

This has been a HUGE hit every place I’ve taken it; I believe this is due in big part to the Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting I top it with. I have a few variations for this as I've had requests for some modifications. Nuts can always be added if you like, I tend to not use them when I know I'll be giving most of it away to avoid causing anyone with nut allergies any issues.

Kids love to help with this one. One of my "borrowed" kiddos loves to make the butter go brown and mix the frosting together. 

 Equipment You'll Need:

• Liquid and dry measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Spatula 
• A strong whisk
• Large mixing bowl
• Smaller bowl for mixing dry ingredients
• Wooden spoon or sturdy spatula
• 13”x9” baking dish
• Parchment paper, baking spray, or extra oil to grease and flour pans
• Strong whisk
• Large saucepan
• Medium-large bowl (4+ cups)

 Groceries Needed:

For the bread bars:

1½ cups sugar

½ cup butter (melted) OR ½ olive oil

2 eggs

1¾ cups mashed ripe bananas (usually about 3 or 4)

½ cup buttermilk (or regular milk)

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

For the Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting:

 ½ cup butter (1 stick)

4 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsps milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsps to 1 tblsp ground cinnamon (flavor to your taste)

 Directions

      For Banana Bread Bars:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the baking dish with parchment paper. It’s ok if it doesn’t cover all the sides, it’s most important to cover the bottom. Baking spray or aluminum can be used if you’re out of parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar until well blended.
3. Add in the milk, eggs, and vanilla and mix well.
4. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and bananas - by hand - until moistened and there's no loose flour in the bowl.
5. Pour or spoon the batter into the baking dish, scrapping out as much batter as possible.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Test with a fork or toothpick until it comes out clean. 
7. Let cool completely before topping with the Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting

For Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting: 

1. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl, if you don’t want to sift, measure powdered sugar into a bowl and “fluff” with a fork.
2. Place butter in large saucepan. Melt butter and keep it on medium to high heat until the butter begins bubbling. When the bubbles/foam begins to show tan or brown spots, you’re done. (There are lots of videos showing this on the internet). Remove the pan from heat
3. Add about 1 cup of the powdered sugar, quickly whisking into the butter.
4. Add remaining powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Pour over cake or bread, this will be a thin frosting. Smooth out with a spatula. 

Zucchini variation

1. Substitute 1 banana for 2 cups of shredded zucchini.
2. Peek at the pan when done, if the top looks a bit “wet”, add 3 more minutes to the baking time.

Dried Cherry variation

1. Add 2 cups of dried cherries.

Chocolate Chip variation

1. Add 2 cups of regular or mini chocolate chips. Add more if you’re a chocoholic.

Tip: If you're short on mashed bananas add unsweetened applesauce to make up the difference