These Banana Bars With Chocolate Chips are a play on a classic favorite, banana bread, but in cookie bar form. This banana bar recipe takes everything you love about traditional banana bread—moist texture, rich banana flavor, and a hint of warmth from spices—and transform it into a delicious, handheld treat. These bars are perfect for when you want the comforting taste of banana bread but with the ease and convenience of a cookie bar. They are chewy, soft, and simply out of this world!
The Best Banana Bars
One of the reasons these banana chocolate chip bars stand out is their incredible chewiness and softness. The addition of ripe bananas gives these bars a naturally sweet flavor and keeps them from drying out, making every bite a delight. The result is a cookie bar that’s soft, chewy, tender, and moist just like the delicious banana bread.
Flavor is another reason these bars are top tier. The deep, rich flavor of bananas, vanilla, and nutty brown butter are complemented by a hint of cinnamon, adding warmth and depth to every bite.
These banana bars are also incredibly easy to make. The recipe comes together quickly with minimal prep time, and the bars bake evenly in a single pan. Plus, they freeze well, so you can always have some on hand for when the craving strikes.
More Delicious Bar Recipes
- The Best Fudge Brownies
- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Smores Bars Recipe (Soft and Gooey)
- The Best 7 Layer Bars
Ingredients for Banana Bars
Brown Sugar: Brown sugar plays an important role in this banana chocolate chip bars recipe. Brown sugar contributes to the rich, caramel-like flavor of the cookies and provides additional moisture, which aids in getting the perfect chewy texture for these cookies.
Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar helps spread the cookie and promotes a tender, crisp texture. Using brown sugar and granulated sugar together creates the perfect cookies that are chewy in the middle and lightly crisp on the edges.
Brown Butter: Brown butter adds a rich, deep, nutty flavor.
Banana: This chocolate chip banana bars recipe obviously calls for banana. I used about 1/4 cup of overripe banana in this recipe. And, before you ask, yes, you need overripe banana — the blacker the better. If you were ever asking what to do with your overripe bananas, you now have your answer. Overripe bananas provide the best flavor for these cookies, as they provide an extra sweetness and an intensified banana flavor. Since we are only using 1/4 cup of banana for this recipe, we definitely want to ensure we pack as much banana flavor in these cookies as possible.
Eggs: Contributes to the chewy texture.
Flour: We are using all-purpose flour to form the base of the cookie dough. However, if you need these bars to be gluten-free I recommend using a 1 to 1 all-purpose gluten-free flour. KING ARTHUR and CUP 4 CUP are two great options. I also include tips on measuring flour below, which will ensure your cookies do not turn out dry or crumbly.
Baking Soda and Powder: Baking soda and baking powder helps with leveling the cookies and aids in their texture. The combination of these two compounds ensure a chewy cookie with a tender crumb.
Cinnamon: Adds warmth, depth, and a subtle spice to banana bars, enhancing their overall flavor.
Walnuts: add a delightful crunch and a nutty flavor to banana bars, creating a contrast with the soft, chewy texture of the bars. Their rich, earthy taste complements the sweetness of the bananas, adding depth and complexity to each bite.
Chocolate Chips: For this cookie recipe, I use a mixture of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Vanilla Extract: This recipe uses pure vanilla extract to add that delicious vanilla flavor.
Salt: Salt (yes, salt) is key to any dessert. Adding salt to your dessert helps with balancing the flavors. Trust me, don’t skip with step.
How to Make these Banana Bars with Chocolate Chips
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9X9 baking dish (or 8×8 if you are looking for thicker bars) with parchment paper and lightly grease. Set aside.
Step 2. Make the brown butter: Cut the butter in small pieces and heat the butter in a small pan on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until the butter turns an amber color. The butter will first foam and start to pop. Then, brown bits will begin to form in the bottom of the pan. Once browned and popping slows, it is ready. You should smell a nutty aroma. Scrap the butter (and all the of those magical brown bits into a heat-safe bowl and let rest for about 15 minutes.
Step 3. In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Step 4. In a large mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cooled browned butter, vanilla, and cinnamon, and beat with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the mashed banana and beat until well combined. Next, add the egg and beat until well combined.
Step 5. Add your “sifted flour mixture” into your wet batter and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Be sure not to over mix.
Step 6. Fold in your chocolate chips and nuts.
Step 7. Transfer the cookie dough to a fridge and let chill for at least 45-60 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate and obtain those brown butter, banana, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors.
Step 8. Next, remove your chilled dough from the refrigerator and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Add additional chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.
Step 9. Let bars bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until edges are set . Once done, take the bars out and immediately top with flaky sea salt. Let cool for at least 30 minutes or until set.
Step 11. Once cooled, cut and enjoy! If you enjoyed this recipe, feel free to add a comment on my blog! Also, be sure to share your photo on instagram and tag @butterloveandsalt! We would love to see how your cookies come out!
How to Measure Flour for These Banana Bars?
- Use the Correct Measuring Cup: Use a dry measuring cup. These cups typically come in sizes like 1 cup, 1/2 cup, etc.
- Fluff the Flour: Before measuring, fluff up the flour in the bag or container using a spoon. This helps prevent compacting and ensures a more accurate measurement.
- Spoon into the Cup: Gently spoon the fluffed-up flour into the measuring cup, allowing it to pile up above the rim.
- Level Off: Use a flat edge, like the back of a knife, to level off the excess flour from the top of the measuring cup. Do this without tapping or shaking the cup to avoid settling.
More Cinnamon-Infused Desserts
How ripe should the bananas be?
Do I need to chill the dough before baking?
How do I store banana bars?
Can I make these bars gluten-free?
Can I reduce the sugar in the recipe?
I hope you love these Banana Bars with Chocolate Chips! They are chewy, chocolatey, moist, and simply incredible! If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @butterloveandsalt on Instagram.Your reviews help support Butter, Love & Salt and make it possible for me to continue to create delicious recipes.
Banana Bars with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter browned and cooled
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup overripe mashed banana about 1 small banana
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips additional for topping
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped, additional for topping
- flaky salt to top
Instructions
- Make the brown butter. Cut the butter in small pieces and heat the butter in a small pan on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until the butter turns an amber color. The butter will first foam and start to pop. Then, brown bits will begin to form in the bottom of the pan. Once browned and popping slows, it is ready. You should smell a nutty aroma. Scrap the butter (and all the of those magical brown bits into a heat-safe bowl and let rest for about 15 minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cooled browned butter, vanilla, and cinnamon, and beat with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the mashed banana and beat until well combined. Next, add the egg and beat until well combined.
- Add your “sifted flour mixture” into your wet batter and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Be sure not to over mix.
- Fold in your chocolate and nuts.
- Optional: transfer the cookie dough to a fridge and let chill for at least 45-60 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate and obtain those brown butter, banana, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9X9 baking dish (or 8×8 if you are looking for thicker bars) with parchment paper and lightly grease. Set aside.
- Next, remove your chilled dough from the refrigerator and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Add additional chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.
- Let bars bake in the oven for about 18-25 minutes or until edges are set . Once done, take the bars out and immediately top with flaky sea salt. Let cool for at least 30 minutes or until set.
- Once cooled, enjoy and feel free to add a comment on my blog! Also, be sure to share your photo on instagram and tag @butterloveandsalt! We would love to see how your cookies come out!
Nutritional Information
Recipe by: Chavez Adams / Butter, Love & Salt | Photography by: Jess Gaertner
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