These Sour Cream Banana Bars are amazing! They’re basically banana bread in bar form with the most delicious browned butter frosting on top. You are going to love these!
I’m sorry that I’m posting another treat today, it’s my son Zach’s fault.
I was going to post a fabulous soup recipe today, but I sent a plate of these Sour Cream Banana Bars to work with Zach last week, and now his co-workers have been bugging him for the recipe.
Zach text me yesterday and asked me again when I was posting these. When I told him I was posting them either today or Monday, he asked me to do it today so they would stop bugging him. So the soup recipe will just have to wait until next week.
My apologies to all you strong ones out there who are sticking with your new year’s goals, you can blame it on Zach. My mom has made these Sour Cream Banana Bars for years. The recipe comes from that old Gold Medal Cookbook I’ve mentioned before.
It’s one of my most favorite cookbooks ever. I finally decided to give my mom’s tattered copy back to her and found myself a used one on Amazon. Maybe I love it so much because so many of the recipes in it remind me of my childhood. . . who knows.
Since I inevitably have 3 overly ripe bananas always sitting on my kitchen counter, these bars were the perfect thing to make with them the other day. I can’t believe haven’t shared this recipe before.
The banana bars themselves are fantastic! Moist, not too sweet, but finishing these bars off with browned butter frosting on top literally makes these irresistible! If I’m being honest, who even needs the banana bars? They’re just a vehicle for the frosting.
The recipe does call for 1/2 cup chopped nuts, but I leave those out. Sorry, nuts just don’t belong in banana bread or bars! Feel free to add them if you’d like.
If you’ve got bananas sitting on your kitchen counter, getting uglier by the day, then you need to make these bars.
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Sour Cream Banana Bars
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 24 bars 1x
Ingredients
Bars:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Browned Butter Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 to 5 tablespoons half and half
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10×15 jelly roll pan.
- In bowl of an electric mixer (or you can use a hand mixer), combine the sugar, sour cream, butter and eggs. Mix on low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until combined. Add bananas and vanilla and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds.
- Add flour, salt and baking soda and mix on medium speed just until combined (about 1 minute). Pour into prepared pan and bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool until just slightly warm and frost with Browned Butter Frosting (recipe below).
Browned Butter Frosting:
- In a small saucepan, brown butter over medium heat until golden brown in color and golden brown flecks appear, swirling pan frequently. (Butter will become a little foamy). Remove from heat and pour into a medium size bowl, cool slightly. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and half & half, mix until smooth and spreadable. (I like to use my hand mixer for this).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Brownies & Bars
LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW IF YOU GIVE THIS A TRY! I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK. SHARE IT ON INSTAGRAM USING THE HASHTAG #5BOYSBAKER SO I CAN SEE WHAT YOU’RE MAKING IN YOUR KITCHEN.
I made this in a 10×13 pan and it is the BEST banana cake I have tasted. Can you use an 8 cup bundt pan?
Hi Ellen! I haven’t made this in a bundt pan, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know if you try it.
Do we know amount of servings and calories?
Thank you
Hi Francine! Sorry, I don’t provide nutritional information, but there are plenty of sites online where you can put the recipe in and it will calculate it for you.
I have made this recipe for years and it is always a hit. I often add orange zest to the batter(or lemon zest). In addition I sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts and orange zest over 1/2 the cake. Then those nut haters can have their cake and eat it too! One other variation I do if I have a little crushed pineapple left from another recipe I have put it in batter(drained of course) th citrus pairs well with the banana.
Sounds delicious!