Easy Banana Bars with Whipped Cream

When life gives you bananas you gotta make some banana bars! These easy banana bars with whipped cream are a quick go-to snack for breakfast or an afternoon sweet treat. If you’re looking for a way to use up your ripe bananas this is the perfect recipe to make!

😋 Taste and features

• Deliciously flavored with brown sugar and sweet bananas
• Topped with a light and airy cold whipped cream
• Takes less than an hour from start to finish
• Extra Soft and chewy bars

🛒 Ingredient notes 

• Bread Flour: This additional protein in the flour gives your bars an extra chew!
• Light Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds additional flavor from the molasses and moisture in the bars!
• Unsalted Butter: Use room temperature butter so that it whips easier!
• Baking Soda: It reacts with brown sugar (acid) to help the bread rise!
• Bananas: 2 Ripe Bananas!
• Salt: Just a pinch!
• Vanilla Extract: To enhance the banana flavor!
• Greek Yogurt: I was able to halve the amount of butter I would normally use to keep the bread moist but without adding a ton of butter.

🗒️ Instructions

Before you start: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 8″ x 8″ inch square pan by greasing it and adding parchment paper.

Step 1. Mix bread flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and set aside.

Step 2. Cream room temperature butter and light brown sugar until fluffy!

Step 4. Add banana, egg and vanilla to the creamed sugar mixture.

Step 5. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture.

Step 6. Pour batter into pan and bake!

Step 7. Make whip cream while waiting for bars to bake.

Step 8. Wait for bars to cool before adding whip cream on top.

🍌 How to ripen bananas quickly

1. Preheat oven to 300F and line a baking tray
2. Place bananas peel on the tray and bake for 30 minutes (Bananas will should look black on the outside but will be caramelized in the center.
3. Peel you bananas after they have cooled down (be careful!) and then they’re ready to be used!

👩‍🍳 Top tips 

• Weigh your bananas to ensure you’re putting in the correct amount!
• If you don’t have a scale to weigh your flour make sure you gently scoop and then level off your flour!
• Take time to cream your butter and sugar to incorporate enough air into the butter for a fluffy bake.
• Cool your banana bars before putting on whipped cream so that it doesn’t melt off.

🗒️ Whip cream tips

1. Cold heavy cream – You want to make sure you don’t take out your heavy cream out of your fridge until you’re ready to whip it! The colder it is the lighter your whipped cream will be!
2. Cold Bowl – Put your bowl in the fridge before adding the the heavy cream for best results.
3. Stiff Peaks – Whipped cream should be be able to stand up on its own when you lift it out of of the bowl but don’t whip for too long as it’ll get too lumpy and butter like!

💡 Variations

If you happen to not like whipped cream you can also mix in the following ingredients below to the batter to add additional flavor!

• Toasted Nuts
• Chocolate Chips
• Honey
• Peanut Butter

🤔 Substitutions

• Not enough bananas? Swap 1 mashed banana with 1/3 cup of apple sauce.
• No bread flour? You can use all purpose flour.
• No greek yogurt? Swap it with sour cream for an even more moist banana bars!

🧺 Storage tips

• Room Temperature: Store at room temperature in an an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Fridge: Cool banana bars and then store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
• Freezer: Cool bars completely and then place them in an airtight container or freezer safe bag and put in the freezer for up to 3 months. They will be good for up to 3 months but note the date of when it was baked on the container!

🔎 Related recipes

Looking for more ways to use up bananas? Check out some of the recipes below!

Banana Peanut Butter Streusel Muffins

Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

Banana Chocolate Chip Scones

📖 Recipe 

Easy Banana Bars with Whipped Cream

Butter n Banter

Banana bars that are extra moist and chewy – perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 23 mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 9 Bars

Calories 201 kcal

Equipment

• Electric Mixer

Ingredients

  

• 1 3/4 Cups Bread Flour (180 Grams)
• 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar (100 Grams)
• 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter (57 Grams)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 Medium Sized Mashed Ripe Bananas 236 Grams (Slightly Less than 1 Cup)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 tbsp 0% Fat Greek Yogurt (53 Grams)

Whipped Cream

• 1 Cup Heavy Cream (240 Grams)
• 1 tbsp White Granulated Sugar (13 Grams)

Instructions

 

Banana Bars

• Heat oven to 350F and grease a 8"x8"-inch square pan.
• Mix bread flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
• Cream softened butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla extract to this mixture.
• Take dry ingredients and slowly add to wet ingredients until fully mixed in.
• Spread batter evenly into greased pan for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with few crumbs.
• Wait for banana bars to cool down before adding on whipped cream and bananas.

Whipped Cream

• Place your metal bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes before starting this recipe!
• Whip heavy cream and confectionary sugar with an electrix mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes. Increase to medium-high for an additional minute.
• You can refrigerate extra cream in your fridge for up to 1 full day!

Notes

Banana Bar Calories:

Bread Flour: 796 Calories

Light Brown Sugar: 380 Calories

Butter: 408 Calories

Banana: 210 Calories

Greek Yogurt: 18 Calories

Total: 1829 Calories (201 cal per bar)

Optional Whipped Cream Calories:

Heavy Cream: 469 Calories

Confectionary Sugar: 31 Calories

Total: 500 Calories

Keyword Banana Bars, Banana Bread, Easy Banana Bread