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Banana Bread Brownies

Banana bread brownies fold ripe mashed banana into a fudgy, dense brownie batter for a moist bar with a banana bread-like crumb. Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean for a chewy center that slices cleanly after cooling.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Bananas
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until smooth; small lumps are fine.
Wet ingredients
  • 0.5 cup melted butter Use slightly cooled melted butter so it doesn’t cook the egg.
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar Pack the brown sugar for best moisture and flavor.
  • 1 large egg Whisk until fully combined.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract Add with the egg mixture.
Dry ingredients
  • 1.25 cup all-purpose flour Measure level for a dense, fudgy crumb.
  • 0.25 cup cocoa powder Sift or whisk to remove lumps if needed.
  • 1 tsp baking powder Helps the batter set without making it cakey.
  • 0.5 tsp salt Balances sweetness.
Mix-ins
  • 0.5 cup chocolate chips Stir in last so they stay intact.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the pan and oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper so the brownies lift out easily after baking.
Mix the wet batter
  1. Whisk together mashed bananas, melted butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and uniform.
Combine dry ingredients
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl until evenly combined.
Build the brownie batter
  1. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined, then stir in chocolate chips.
Bake
  1. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 28–32 minutes at 350°F, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
Cool and slice
  1. Let cool completely before slicing into bars for clean cuts and a set, fudgy center.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the pan all the way before slicing—this prevents the banana-fudgy center from smearing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze baked bars up to 2 months. For a swap, use dairy-free butter and dairy-free chocolate chips to make them dairy-free while keeping the texture similar.