Banana Bars with Brown Butter Glaze — ‘Fudgy’ is the only word that describes these banana bars! They’re the banana equivalent of moist, fudgy brownies with zero trace of cakiness.
Table of Contents
These brown butter banana bars are rich, soft, supremely moist, and tooth-sinkingly dense and satisfying. If you’re looking for a fluffy slice of banana cake or banana bread, they’re not that.
This is an easy, no-mixer recipe and the brown butter glaze makes the banana bars go from really darn good to out-of-this world amazing. It’s a must-make recipe! I cannot think of two more powerfully flavorful ingredients than browned butter or vanilla beans seeds, and flavor just explodes from the glaze.
After pouring the glaze over the warm bars, it seeps down and soaks in, and makes the bars even moister and softer. The rippled appearance that’s created as it sets up enhances the homey comfort food factor.
I normally have a piece or two of what I make and give the rest to my family or re-home the leftovers with friends and neighbors, but I hoarded these bars!
Recipe Ingredients
To make these brown butter frosted banana bars, you’ll need:
- White chocolate chips
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Mashed banana
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Vanilla bean paste
- Cream or milk
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Brown Butter Glazed Banana Bars
- Make the banana bars: In a large, microwave-safe bowl, add the white chocolate and butter, and melt.
- Add the egg, sugar, and vanilla, and whisk until combined.
- Stir in the bananas, followed by the flour and salt.
- Turn batter out into a greased 8×8-inch pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
- Make the brown butter glaze: You’ll first need to brown the butter (I’ve listed exact instructions and tips below), then combine it with confectioners’ sugar, vanilla bean paste, and salt.
- Slowly pour in the milk, whisking until smooth.
- Pour the glaze over the bars while they’re still warm.
- Let the bars rest, uncovered for two to three hours before slicing and serving.
Adjusting the Consistency of the Glaze
As you whisk together the vanilla glaze, you may need to add additional powdered sugar or milk to reach your desired consistency. When adding extra milk or sugar, add just a little at a time to be safe!
How to Brown Butter
Browning a stick of butter takes about 5 minutes (depending on pan size), but watch it closely so you don’t burn it!
- Cook butter over medium-high heat in a small saucepan until it’s amber to brown in color.
- I swirl the pan in the last minute or so to make sure I can really see the color changes. While browning the butter, it will go through stages of hissing, sputtering, and making noise until the water cooks off, at which point the browning occurs.
- Besides changing color, you’ll know the butter is fully browned once it starts smelling nutty and fragrant. Trust me, you’ll know when it’s done!
Tips for Making This Recipe
Melting the white chocolate: White chocolate is very prone to scorching and seizing up, so watch it carefully and don’t overheat.
Vanilla bean paste substitute: I used vanilla bean paste in the vanilla glaze, but scraping the seeds of a vanilla bean works too. Vanilla extract is okay, but it won’t be as intense as vanilla paste or seeds would be. Use what you have on hand — these frosted banana bars will be delicious no matter what!
Browning the butter: When you’re transferring the browned butter from the saucepan to the mixing bowl, make sure to get all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the bowl. Those little browned bits are full of flavor, so definitely include them in the vanilla glaze!
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Banana Bars with Browned Butter Glaze
Ingredients
Bars
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed banana, (about 2 large or 3 small/medium ripe bananas)
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- pinch salt, (optional and to taste)
Glaze
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, browned
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste*
- pinch salt, (optional and to taste)
- ¼ cup heavy cream , or as necessary for consistency (can also use milk)
Instructions
Make the Bars
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl add the white chocolate, butter, and heat to melt, about 2 minutes on high power. Stop to check and stir after 1 minute, and then heat in 20-second bursts, stopping to stir after each burst, until mixture can be stirred smooth. White chocolate is very prone to scorching and seizing up, so watch it carefully and don’t overheat.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, sugar, vanilla, and whisk until combined.
- Stir in the bananas until well-combined.
- Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 32 to 33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. In the last 15 minutes of baking, make the glaze.
Make the Glaze
- Brown the butter (click for tutorial). Cook butter over medium-high heat in a small saucepan until it’s amber to brown in color, about 5 minutes depending on pan size, but watch it closely so you don’t burn it. I swirl the pan in the last minute or so to make sure I can really see the color changes. Butter will go through stages of hissing, sputtering, and making noise until the water cooks off at which point the browning occurs. Butter will smell nutty and aromatic.
- Transfer butter, including brown bits at the bottom of the pan (they’re flavor powerhouses, keep them) from pan to large mixing bowl which stops any carryover cooking.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla bean paste, optional salt, and slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth or beat with a handheld electric mixer. As necessary, add additional cream (or confectioners’ sugar) to reach desired glaze consistency. Glaze should be of medium thickness and easily pourable.
Assemble the Bars
- Evenly pour glaze over bars (they don’t have to be cooled first), smoothing it lightly with a spatula if necessary, but glaze will likely just slide into place.
- Allow bars to cool in pan uncovered for at least 2 to 3 hours, (or overnight and cover with a sheet of foil) before slicing and serving so glaze can set up.
- Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Banana Desserts:
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Banana Cream Pie Bars – Faster and easier than making a banana cream pie and taste AMAZING!! A crunchy crust, tender banana slices, luscious banana pudding, and creamy whipped topping make these layered pie bars WINNERS!!
Banana Bread Pudding — Bread pudding meets banana bread in this EASY breakfast or brunch recipe that everyone will LOVE!
Six-Banana Banana Chocolate Chip Cake — Yes, 6 bananas in 1 cake means it’s super SOFT, moist, and has robust banana flavor with chocolate chips in EVERY bite!
Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread — This is the BEST homemade banana bread recipe! This banana bread tastes like it has cheesecake baked in! Soft, fluffy, easy and tastes ahhhh-mazing!!
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – The BEST banana cake recipe because it’s soft, tender, moist, and bursting with banana flavor thanks to the 4 bananas used!
This is such a cool idea Averie! I always think we’re out of banana recipes and then you come up with something else totally unique! Can’t wait to sink my teeth into these ones…pinned.
Thanks for pinning and I always think I’m out, too….til the next one :)
That glaze sounds to-die-for, love these bars!
And I know your a big browned butter fan too :)
These bars look so fudgy, Averie! Love the browned butter glaze! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
Gorgeous!! I just pinned these and will patiently wait for my bananas to get overly ripe so I can make these!!
Thanks for pinning and for the FB shout out, too! If you end up trying these, LMK!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like these! Love how your mind works Averie! They look like total buttery banana vanilla bliss!
total buttery banana vanilla bliss <--- well said, and yes :)
Oh my, these look absolutely amazing!!
Give me a straw for that glaze OMG!!! And the bars too. I’m in love.
Dorothy these are so you. And me :) I mean I know you would love these! We’d have to wrestle for a straw to drink the glaze LOL!
These look amazing!! I really have to try this! Thank you!
Browned butter+ bananas+vanilla bean paste+fudginess can’t equal anything but complete awesomeness. These look fantastic!
You had me at “zero traces of cakiness.” And the fact that I’ve been wanting to make browned butter for a very long time. I actually just learned about it maybe within the last year… This might be the push for me to actually get on it! These look and sound wonderful!
Oh you have to try it! It’s a game changer!!
WOW…these look so moist and delicious and I love how clean your cuts are when you make bars…I adore vanilla bean paste and try to put it in almost everything so I know these will be the vanilla bomb…can’t wait to make these.
Thanks for noticing the clean cuts :)
And if you try these, LMK! Not surprised you’re already totally on board with vanilla bean paste, I love it too!
Brown butter and vanilla on top of banana bars?!? Those bars look to good! Moist and banana-y, I have never seen this before, what a great idea!
Butter makes everything better and browned butter makes everything divine!! These bars have a lot of special touches with the white choc and vanilla bean paste….and all that adds up to serious deliciousness. I can see why you wanted to hang on to these. I like the paste because I get flecks in every spoonful–no shaking required!
Paula this is one of those recipes like the French Silk Pie I recently made that was a special one – omg I LOVED these things! You’re so right about the browned butter and the flecks in every spoonful :)
Wow–these are like nothing I’ve seen. I have the feeling I would absolutely love them!
Maryea, I did love them, sooo much! I hope you do too!
Averie, this is so unique!! Love the looks of that fudgy base. Hole delicious!!
Thanks, Katrina!
Oh my gosh, Averie! Perfection doesn’t even scratch the surface for describing these bars!! Banana, vanilla, white chocolate & browned butter all together in something that looks like THIS?! Girl, can you move to NYC & be my neighbor?! Xo
Your weather is not nearly as good as San Diego. You’ll have to come out here :)
Lol, I can’t argue that!!