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Banana Bread Brownies

Banana bread brownies are fudgy banana chocolate bars with a crinkly top and a dense, moist interior studded with chocolate chips. Brown butter flavor runs through the batter and a drizzle-style brown butter glaze finishes the bars.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Batter
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter melted and browned
  • 3 bananas ripe, mashed
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup chocolate chips
Brown butter glaze
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Bake the banana bread brownie layer
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan. This helps the batter release cleanly after baking.
  2. Brown the unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden and nutty smelling, then pour into a large bowl and cool slightly. Look for a deep golden color and a toasted aroma before removing it from the heat.
  3. Whisk the bananas, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract into the browned butter. Mix until smooth and glossy, with no dry sugar pockets.
  4. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips. Stop mixing when you no longer see flour to keep the center dense and moist.
  5. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 25–30 minutes until set and golden. Watch for the edges to firm up and the top to look crinkly, then cool completely before glazing.
Glaze and slice
  1. Brown the butter for the glaze in a saucepan, then whisk it with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. The glaze should be pourable enough to drizzle.
  2. Drizzle the brown butter glaze over the cooled bars and slice. Use a clean cut for visible chocolate chips and a dense interior.

Notes

For the crinkly top, keep mixing brief after adding flour and bake until the center is set and the surface turns golden. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze baked, cooled bars airtight up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). To make it dairy-free, use a plant-based butter for the brownie and glaze.