Mimi's Organic Eats » Recipes » Brownies & Bars » Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars

Brownies & Bars • No Seed Oils • Eggless • Gluten Free • High Altitude | Published August 26, 2022 by Mimi Council

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These Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars are perfect to make when you have overly ripe bananas! I make these in a 8 x 8-inch pan, add chocolate chips, and you have an amazing snack!

If you love banana bread, check out my Eggless Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Blueberry Banana Bread, or my Maple Banana Bread with Vanilla Bean Glaze.

Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Tools Needed
Step by Step Instructions
FAQ's
Craving More?

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Uses Overly Ripe Bananas: You'll love this recipe because it uses overly ripe bananas! If you have blackened bananas this is a quick and easy recipe to make! These Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars are a delicious snack or dessert!

Mini Banana Bread: These Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars are just like your favorite banana bread, but in a small mini squares . They are moist, fluffy, and have all the banana bread vibes, but in a bar form. You can basically make any banana bread recipe into bars simply by changing your pan!

Flexible: I used my USA Pan 8 x 8-inch pan for this recipe, but you can also use a 9 x 9-inch pan as well. That extra inch won't matter too much in this recipe, the larger pan will just result in a little bit larger and shorter bar. So, you can use either square pan size you have on hand.

Ingredients

Butter: My favorite organic butter is from Organic Valley, and next favorite is from Costco!
Brown Sugar: I am using Homemade Light Brown Sugar in this recipe today.
Bananas: Make sure your bananas are very ripe, and black almost! The blacker the better. This provides more flavor in your baked goods.
Sour Cream: I use organic sour cream in this recipe, as there are no eggs! Sour cream helps create a moist cake and also give this banana bread some structure. I used Organic Valley Sour Cream in this recipe.
Milk: Always use whole milk when baking. I love Organic Valley Grassmilk, as I think milk from grass-fed cows tastes better!
All Purpose Flour: I used Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour in this recipe. You can use King Arthur or even the O Organics brand from Vons, both of which I also like.
Cinnamon: I use organic Korintje Cinnamon from Frontier Co-Op. Korintje Cinnamon is a specific type of cinnamon that I believe has the best cinnamon flavor. This isn't the traditional cinnamon you usually see at the grocery store, that is usually Ceylon – which I find doesn't have the best flavor. So, give my favorite cinnamon a try and I bet you'll notice a difference in your baked goods.
Chocolate Chips: I used organic chocolate chips from Nuts.com in this recipe. You can easily order these online, and also in bulk! You could also use semi sweet or milk chocolate if you prefer!

Tools Needed

Scale: Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
Stand Mixer: I use a stand mixer for this recipe, but you could also use a hand mixer if you prefer.
8-inch Baking Pan: I use my 8×8-inch baking pan, but you could also use a 9-inch baking pan if that's all you have.
Parchment Paper: I use parchment paper for easy removal.

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Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted the paddle attachment, add the butter and brown sugar and mix on low until combined and there are no chunks of butter.

Add the bananas, sour cream, and milk and mix on low until combined. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt in that order and mix on low until combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Step 3

Bake for 1 hour or until the a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions). Allow to cool in the pan completely. Cut into 9 bars.

FAQ's

How ripe should bananas be for banana bread?

Bananas should be very ripe for banana bread. They should be soft, mushy, and blackened. When bananas ripen, the starches turn into sugar. This sugar is what provides more banana flavor and a more flavorful banana bread when you use blackened bananas. Read my post Can Bananas Ever Be Too Ripe for Baking? for more info!

Can you make banana bread not in a loaf pan?

Yes, that is exactly what I did here. I made an eggless banana bread loaded with chocolate chips and I baked this in a square 8 x 8-inch pan. You can also use a 9 x 9-inch pan for this recipe as well, they just won't be as tall. I chose the 8 x 8-inch pan so these bars would look very thick.

Can you leave out vanilla extract?

If you notice, this recipe doesn't have any vanilla extract. That is rare for a baked good recipe! However, vanilla extract is very expensive, so I like to make sure it's truly needed when I use it. And, in this recipe for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars, the bananas have so much flavor and I also add in a pinch of cinnamon so there is no need for vanilla extract in this recipe. So, this is a great recipe to make when you're out of vanilla extract!

Is it better to wrap banana bread in foil or plastic wrap?

Never wrap banana bread in foil, as banana bread is moist so it needs to be in something that is airtight. Foil is not an airtight covering, so it's not good for things that need to stay moist, soft, or chewy. You can wrap banana bread in plastic wrap as long as you do it tightly. But, my favorite way to store these Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars is in a Tupperware. It's more eco friendly, and it stays the best in an airtight container.