Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

If you have some overripe bananas, these banana bars with cream cheese icing are the perfect alternative to banana bread! Read more after the recipe!

Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

These moist, flavorful banana bars with cream cheese icing come together in just a few minutes and are a fun alternative to banana bread!

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Ingredients

banana bars

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour lightly spooned into the measuring cup and leveled with a knife
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
• 1 cup ripe mashed banana

cream cheese icing

• 1 8- ounce block cream cheese softened
• 1 stick butter softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract you can use another teaspoon of vanilla if you prefer
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 15 x 10 x 1" jelly roll pan with shortening and set aside.
• Add the sugar and butter to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, cream until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream (or yogurt), eggs, and vanilla and mix until well-combined. Whisk together the dry ingredients and then slowly add them to the mixture. Add the banana until just combined and then spread in the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a knife or pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely.
• While the bars are cooling, use the handheld mixer to whip together the frosting ingredients until the frosting is light and fluffy. When the pan is completely cool, spread the icing on top and cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

Recipe from Taste of Home

Author: Taste of Home

Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!

If you’ve never had banana bars, they’re similar to banana bread and banana cake, but the batter is a little denser (which gives them a more brownie-like texture) and they’re baked in a jelly roll pan so they are thin and have the perfect bar-to-frosting ratio. They’re the perfect finger snack for potlucks or brunches, and they 100% count as breakfast food because they have bananas and eggs, which practically makes them health food (have I ever told you I’m an excellent enabler?)

How to Make These Banana Bars

For the bars, you’ll need flour, sugar, butter, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, salt, baking soda, bananas, and vanilla. If you’re feeling wild, you can also add in a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 15 x 10 x 1″ jelly roll pan with shortening and set aside.

Add the sugar and butter to a large mixing bowl.

Using an electric hand mixer, cream until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream (or yogurt), eggs, and vanilla and mix until well-combined.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and then slowly add them to the mixture. Add the banana

and stir until just combined and then spread in the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a knife or pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely.

While the bars are cooling, use the handheld mixer to whip together the frosting ingredients until the frosting is light and fluffy. When the pan is completely cool, spread the icing on top

and cut into bars.

Admire your handiwork.

Eat.

Store any survivors in the refrigerator.