Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting

Moist, delicious banana bread is one of the best comfort foods. If you bake it in a jelly roll pan, top it with some brown butter frosting and then sprinkle it with sea salt, you’ve got yourself crowd-pleasing bite-sized treats called Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting.

My youngest daughter loves to bake with me, so we whipped up a batch of these this morning to have ready to welcome her sisters when they came home from school. My middle daughter just came home, tasted a bite and said to me, “You’re going to have to make these for my wedding!”

They are THAT good.

I found this recipe on Pinterest from a blog called Breanna’s Recipe Box, which has some wonderful recipes and beautiful food photos. It’s a blog site worth checking out.

Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2  c white sugar
• 1/2  c butter, room temperature
• 2   eggs
• 1   c sour cream
• 3-4 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2  tsp vanilla
• 1  tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• Brown Butter frosting:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour 15×10-inch jelly roll pan.

2.  In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter.

3.  Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.

4.  Add sour cream and mix to combine.

5.  Blend in bananas and vanilla.

6.  Add flour, baking soda, salt and mix until all ingredients are combined.

7.  Spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

8.  For the frosting, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty.  Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you go.  **Keep your eyes on it; it burns very quickly after it browns.**

9.  Remove from heat and add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and milk (one tablespoon at a time).  Beat until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze, but thinner than frosting).

10. Using a spatula, spread frosting over warm bars.

11.  Sprinkle tops of bars lightly with sea salt if you like a salty/sweet taste.

Photo courtesy of miss-dixie.blogspot.com.

**Have you tried this recipe? Let others know what you thought of it by submitting the comment form below.

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Living Life to The Fullest!

I love seeking out new experiences and finding places off the beaten path. I started Joplin MO Life in August 2013 as a way to share my discoveries with others in the Joplin community so that they can learn about the resources that exist right in their own backyards.

I have worked in education and event planning, and have always loved to write. I hold a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor's degree in marketing from Tulane University.