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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Are the white chocolate chips crucial to the recipe?
You need the chips in this recipe. I supposed you could use milk, semi-sweet, butterscotch although I haven’t tried those varieties, but yes you need to use chips.
These look amazing! How do you make the cut so smooth looking?
https://https://www.averiecooks.com/faq/ Item #30
Thank you for the info!
I want to be best friends with these glorious bars!! :) Nom nom nom!
This is too funny — I posted a recipe for banana bread brownies a few days before you published these! Great minds totally think alike… And probably buy a few too many bananas at TJ’s too. ;) I’ve actually never browned butter, although it’s been on my to do list for a long time. Maybe when I finally get a stove again (I’m staying with my parents for a few weeks, and they’re having their kitchen remodeled, so I have nothing but a microwave and convection toaster oven), I’ll finally get around to it!
Every weekend, I make dessert for a dinner with my in-laws, and two weeks ago, my husband’s grandpa was in the hospital with some health issues. He was salt-restricted, but could eat any sweets, so I decided to bake up this delicious recipe!
Halfway through making it, my mother-in-law texted to say that he LOVES chocolate. So instead of using the vanilla glaze, I made a dutch cocoa frosting, and added a last minute cup of chocolate chips to the batter. It turned out absolutely delicious! Banana-y and fudgy just like I wanted, and chocolatey for our grandpa. What a great versatile recipe!
What a sweet story and so glad your grandpa was able to get his chocolate fix. Chocolate & bananas are always a win! Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness! I just made these today and I’m pretty sure it’s the most delicious thing I have ever baked! So delicious and moist! The glaze kind of tastes like those Weathers caramels. I’m not gonna lie I licked the bowl! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
So happy you loved these as much as I did, bowl licking is a-okay :)
Just tried this recipe, and it’s a winner! I used about 1/3 of the sugar in the bars (because there is already quite a bit of sugar in white chocolate and bananas) and made 3/4 of the glaze, and that was perfect for me. Thank you for sharing.
Glad it worked out well for you and you enjoyed them!
Averie, this is the second recipe I’ve made from your website which my family loved. My grandson had a huge piece before he left for school today. I have folders set-up for my recipes (main, apps, desserts). I’ve set-up one specifically for your recipes. Thank you.
Thanks for the high praise and compliments and it’s nice I have my own folder :) Happy your grandson & family loved these!
I don’t have any white chocolate. Will it taste ok if I use butterscotch chips instead?
It will change the flavor and be much more butterscotchy rather than ‘neutral vanilla’ like you’d get with white chocolate.
I made these as a special treat for my mom, who loves all things banana. Of course, I gave her the whole tray and didn’t even try one myself, and it made me sad. I did stick my finger in the glaze and holy cow, AMAZING! They made my house smell SO good, I look forward to making them again so that I can try one.
Oh gosh, you are DEDICATED. That is some amazing willpower not to try even one and to just do a little finger-dipping :) Well so glad that the glaze was good and that they made your house smell amazing. LMK what your mom thought of them!
Whenever I think I can’t find another way to use banana, you find one :) Whether it be banana bread, brownies, or the works, my jaw is always on the floor! These bars sound absolutely incredible. That glaze = heaven.
Too gorgeous for words!!
These are sooooo wonderful! I always have ripened bananas on hand for smoothies and bread; this is the perfect sweet tooth use for them! I made two batches, second batch added toasted coconut on top– delicious! thank you for another great recipe :)
I love that you made two batches of these – one with coconut and one without! Thanks for trying them and glad you’re pleased!!
I can’t even begin to tell you how happy this recipe makes me! I love EVERYTHING banana, and this is absolutely screaming my name. Thanks so much for sharing, pinned!
Those look so good! I love banana anything. Beautiful photos, too!
wow these bars look so moist, delicious and definitely fudgy! craving a bite of one right now, love anything banana flavoured.