While a loaf of banana bread takes nearly an hour to cook in the oven, these chocolate chip banana bars cook in just half the time. They are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free and come together quickly in one bowl. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself keeping more bananas on hand, just to make these again!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instead of using butter, this recipe relies on peanut butter and a touch of olive oil to keep it moist. You can’t taste the olive oil at all, but any other vegetable oil will work, like coconut oil or avocado oil. Paired with ripe bananas and coconut sugar, these bars are sweet enough to be served as dessert, but they’d also make a delicious after-school snack. If you’re not a fan of cinnamon, feel free to swap it for vanilla extract, or simply leave it out. The flavor is easy to adjust to your liking.
How to Make Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. A metal pan will give you better results than a glass pan since these are brownie-like. Mash the banana with a fork until smooth, then measure out 2/3 cup. (You’ll get this amount from roughly 2 small bananas or 1 very large one.) Transfer the measured mashed banana to a large bowl, then add in the peanut butter, eggs, coconut sugar, olive oil, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until the batter is smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips, then transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top, if you’d like. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the center feels firm to a light touch. (A toothpick inserted in the center might still come out a bit sticky since these bars are so moist. They will continue to firm up as they cool.) These bars will be very tender while they are hot, so be patient and let them cool for at least 1 hour before serving. (The banana flavor is even more prominent when warm, too.) Use the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan, then use a sharp knife to cut 16 squares. Enjoy them right away! Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Looking for more banana recipes? Try my Flourless Banana Snack Cake (with no added sugar), Almond Flour Banana Bread, or Banana Mug Cake for more ideas. If you try these Peanut Butter Banana Bars, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.
