Glazed Banana Bread Bars Recipe
I love banana bread anything and could eat it every day and not get sick of it. I have 40+ banana bread and banana recipes but no banana bread bars. What? Time to change that. This banana bread bars recipe combines two of my favorite recipes into one: Cream-Cheese Filled Banana Bread and Fudgy Banana Bars with Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze. It’s a fast and easy recipe that uses melted coconut oil so there’s no butter to cream and no electric mixer to dirty. Oil keeps bread softer and springier than butter, and I prefer the taste. Then, the sour cream (or Greek yogurt) is extra insurance for a soft, springy, bouncy, fluffy loaf. Using sour cream, Greek yogurt, or buttermilk in quick bread and muffin recipes ensures more tender results. The glaze makes the banana bread bars go from great to out-of-this-world amazing and I’ve been topping everything I can with it. Browned butter and glorious specks of vanilla beans can do no wrong. 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 is unadulterated homey comfort food. The banana bread bars are dense enough to be satisfying but are still perfectly light, fluffy, and packed with rich banana flavor. And that glaze. Oh my! It makes for a dessert worth dreaming about.
What’s in Banana Bread Bars?
To make these banana bars with sour cream, you’ll need a handful of simple ingredients including:
Egg Light brown sugar Coconut oil – This adds a nearly imperceptible undertone that’s sweeter and more fragrant than canola or vegetable oil, but substitute if you prefer Sour cream Vanilla extract Ripe bananas or overripe bananas All-purpose flour – If needed, you can use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour to keep these banana bread bars gluten-free. Do not substitute almond flour, coconut flour, or any other gluten-free flour substitute Baking powder Baking soda Salt Unsalted butter Confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) Vanilla bean paste – I used vanilla bean paste in the glaze but scraping the seeds of a vanilla bean works too. Vanilla extract is okay, but won’t be as flavorfully intense as paste or seeds 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 Banana Bread Bars
Recipes don’t get easier than this simple moist banana bread bars recipe! Here’s an overview of the process:
More Banana Bread Recipes:
ALL OF MY BANANA BREAD RECIPES! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Upside-Down Banana Bread Cake — Don’t settle for making another loaf of plain banana bread when you can have caramelized banana slices on top of soft banana cake! A decadent spin on banana bread! The BEST use for your ripe bananas! Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread — Banana bread that’s like having cheesecake baked in! Soft, fluffy, easy and tastes ahhhh-mazing! Six-Banana Banana Bread – Six bananas in one loaf of bread means an extremely soft, moist, and richly flavored bread.
Browned Butter Buttermilk Banana Bread with Strawberry Butter – The browned butter and buttermilk add richness, softness, and moisture, and the strawberry butter makes it that much better. Pineapple Coconut Oil Banana Bread – Buttermilk, bananas and coconut oil keep this bread super moist, tender and it tastes like a tropical vacation. Zucchini Banana Bread — This zucchini banana bread is so soft, tender, uber-moist, dense enough to be satisfying, but still light! The Best Strawberry Banana Bread — This strawberry bread is packed with fresh, juicy strawberries in every bite! This is an easy, no-mixer quick bread recipe you’re going to love!
