Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

April, 3rd 2022 By Recipes by Sugar

Recipe Credit: Sandy Hess, my Mom worked with her

Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting is a recipe I would come home to after school to eat as a snack growing up. They are also great after dinner as dessert, or even in the morning for breakfast! I love this recipe. It is a nice change up from making banana bread every time you have over ripe bananas. I think the cream cheese frosting is a must with this recipe, but it is not required.

Ingredients for Banana Bars

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 mashed bananas, ripe to over ripe bananas work best
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Utensils Needed

• Large mixing bowl
• Spatula x2
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Small bowl
• Fork
• 11 x 15 jelly roll pan, greased
• Medium mixing bowl
• Hand held mixer
• Metal spatula for serving

Directions for Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time: 15 minutes / Cook Time: 30 minutes at 350 degrees + 10 minutes to cool

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar using a spatula.
3. Next, in a small bowl place peeled bananas and mash with a fork.
4. Now, in the large mixing bowl, add the bananas, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix.
5. Then add flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix.
6. Pour batter into greased 11 x 15 jelly roll pan.
7. Place in over and bake for 30 minutes or until done.
8. While the banana bars are baking, you can start on the cream cheese frosting.
9. In a medium mixing bowl, using a hand held mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese.
10. Then add your milk and vanilla, mix.
11. Now add the powdered sugar, mix on low to start! Then turn up the speed and continue mixing until smooth. Set aside.
12. Once banana bars are cooked, set aside and let cool.
13. Once they have cooled down some, frost with cream cheese frosting using a spatula and serve!

Variations

• You can skip the cream cheese frosting and dust with powdered sugar.
• It is possible to cook these in a little smaller pan, but they will be thicker so it will affect the cooking time.
• I have not tried it, but I am sure you could add nuts to the batter.