Chocolate chip banana bars are moist and tender banana bars with a thick and chewy blondie like texture, filled with sweet chocolate chips. These buttery banana chocolate chip bars are quick, easy to make and are a great alternative to banana bread.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
There is something so cozy and inviting about banana bread (or any variation for that matter). I especially love my Brown Butter Banana Bread, Nutella Banana Bread, Banana Mug Cake and Banana Mini Muffins recipes. These banana bars with chocolate chips is no exception. If you’re a fan of wonderfully moist and tender banana desserts, this recipe is for you.
- Simple pantry ingredients: You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make a batch of quick, simple, soft and chewy banana chocolate bars.
- You love a delicious twist on banana bread. These buttery banana bar cookies taste like a cross between banana bread and blondies.
Ingredients
Before I show you how to make banana and chocolate chip bars, make sure you have these simple ingredients ready to go!
- Dry Ingredients: Gather your flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: Gather your butter, light brown sugar, an egg, ripe bananas, vanilla extract and regular or mini chocolate chips.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make this recipe for buttery banana blondie bar if you need them.
- All purpose flour: To make this recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour or oat flour. Replace the amount of flour based on weight rather than cups. This banana dessert bar uses 120 g flour.
- Baking Powder: Replace the baking powder with ? teaspoon baking soda. The texture of the blondie bars will be different but will still taste delicious.
- Melted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter, vegan or plant based butter.
- Light Brown Sugar: This chocolate chip banana bread bar recipe calls for light brown sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make this recipe refined sugar free.
- Mashed Banana: Make sure the bananas are fully ripened with some brown spots.
- Egg: This recipe hasn’t been tested without an egg.
- Vanilla Extract: This provides an essential background flavor that pairs perfectly with the banana, light brown sugar and chocolate chips. Use vanilla bean paste if you don’t have vanilla extract.
- Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips: Feel free to use of any chips or chocolate chunks you like.
Variations
- Mix Ins: Feel free to add in ½ - 1 cup of chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts.
- 9 x 13 pan: To make enough banana chocolate chip bars to feed a crowd, double the recipe as written. Extend the baking time by 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the buttery banana and chocolate chip batter comes out with a few moist crumbs, but not a smear.
How To Make
Learn how to make chocolate chip banana bars in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line an 8x8 (20 cm) pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two sides. Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir the butter and if needed, heat again for 15 seconds. Cool the melted butter for 10 - 15 minutes or until warm, but not hot. Set aside for now. In another mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled butter with the light brown sugar until well combined. Whisk in the egg, mashed bananas and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. The mixture may look a little curdled. That’s totally fine! Once the dry ingredients are mixed in the batter will become smoother. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. I like to do this about ½ of the dry ingredients at a time. Fold in the mini chocolate chips. Make sure to reserve some for topping the banana bars before baking.
- Smooth the banana batter into the prepared pan. Use a flexible spatula to smooth the blonde brownie batter evenly across the pan. Top with more mini chocolate chips if you like.
- Bake the chocolate chip banana bars for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the sides of the chocolate chip blondies are firm and the center is baked through. A toothpick inserted into the center of the banana blondie bars should come out clean or with a few crumbs. Cool the buttery banana chocolate bars in the pan to room temperature. Once the bars are completely cooled, use the excess sides of parchment paper to gently lift the banana dessert from the pan, slice and enjoy!
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Place the banana chocolate chip bars in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 -4 days. If you would like to store them for longer, I recommend transferring them to the fridge for up to a week or to the freezer for up to one month.
- Freeze: Make sure the chewy banana bread bars with chocolate chips are completely cooled to room temperature. Place the banana squares in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the chocolate chip banan bars is to let them sit out at room temperature until fully defrosted.
M’s Expert Tips
- Cool the melted butter. Melting the butter gives these banana bars a blondie cookie like texture. Make sure the melted butter is room temperature or a bit warm to the touch before using in the recipe.
- Use ripe bananas. Ripe bananas have more flavor and are sweeter, not to mention so much easier to mash than unrippen ones. A ripened bananas will be soft and have lots of brown spots on the outside. Basically, bananas that are perfect for banana bread are perfect for banana bars with chocolate chips.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in deliciously brown sugar blondie bars.
- Look for the signs the bars are done. Use the baking time as a guide rather than a strict rule. Signs the banana bars are finished baking is a light golden brown, firm, set edges that have slightly pulled away from the edge of the pan and a fully baked center.
- Cool the bars in the pan. These banana chocolate chip bars need time to fully cool before coming out of the pan. Cool the pan on top of a cooling rack until the pan and banana bread bars are room temperature.
FAQs
How can I ripen bananas quickly?
To ripen or brown bananas quickly, bake bananas on a baking sheet in a 300 F oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until the outside of the banana is blackened. Cool the bananas, peel and use as written in the recipe.
How many bananas is in 1 cup?
One cup of mashed bananas is about 2 medium bananas.
What to make with ripe bananas?
Ripe bananas can be used for so many banana desserts. Some of my favorite banana desserts are banana brownies, banana chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and banana cake.
Other Banana Recipes to Try
- Banana Brownies
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
If you try this Chocolate Chip Banana Bars recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Chocolate Chip Banana Bars Recipe
Chocolate chip banana bars are moist and tender banana bars with a thick and chewy blondie like texture, filled with sweet chocolate chips. These buttery banana chocolate chip bars are quick, easy to make and are a great alternative to banana bread.
Equipment
- 1 8x8 (20 cm) metal pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (128 g) mini chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line an 8x8 (20 cm) pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two sides.
- Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir the butter and if needed, heat again for 15 seconds. Cool the melted butter for 10 - 15 minutes or until warm, but not hot. Set aside for now.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- In another mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined.1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk in the cooled butter with the light brown sugar until well combined. Whisk in the egg, mashed bananas and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. The mixture may look a little curdled. That’s totally fine! Once the dry ingredients are mixed in the batter will become smoother.¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 cup mashed bananas, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. I like to do this about ½ of the dry ingredients at a time. Fold in the mini chocolate chips. Make sure to reserve some for topping the banana bars before baking.¾ cup (128 g) mini chocolate chips, divided
- Smooth the banana batter into the prepared pan. Use a flexible spatula to smooth the blonde brownie batter evenly across the pan. Top with more mini chocolate chips if you like.
- Bake the chocolate chip banana bars for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the sides of the chocolate chip blondies are firm and the center is baked through. A toothpick inserted into the center of the banana blondie bars should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Cool the buttery banana chocolate bars in the pan to room temperature. Once the bars are completely cooled, use the excess sides of parchment paper to gently lift the banana dessert from the pan, slice and enjoy!
Notes
Store: Place the banana chocolate chip bars in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 -4 days. If you would like to store them for longer, I recommend transferring them to the fridge for up to a week or to the freezer for up to one month.
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Mandy says
These bars are really yummy! They turned out great. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!
Megan says
I am so happy you enjoyed these chocolate chip banana bars Mandy. Thank you for trying the recipe and for the kind review.
Tressa says
Delicious idea for ripe bananas. I did cut the sugar in half because the bananas were over ripe and sweet as well as adding chips. It was perfect.
Megan says
Hi Tressa, I am so happy you enjoyed the chocolate chip banana bars. Thank you for providing your reduced sugar variation.