Move over banana bread. We’re making Banana Bars with Chocolate Ganache. These banana chocolate chip bars are perfect for parties and celebrations of all kinds.
If you are looking for other easy bar desserts, try these birthday cake bars or these berry crumb bars.
Make ahead
minimal prep
Quick Look: Banana Bars with Chocolate Ganache
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 🕖 Total Time: 45 minutes
- 🍌 Servings: 24 servings
- ⚡️ Calories: 199 calories per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Bake in oven at 350F
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: bananas, flour, chocolate chips
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Easy! Chocolate ganache is much easier than it sounds.
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Dina left this 5 star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Super easy recipe and easy steps to follow. Basic pantry ingredients makes this recipe fun to bake with kids! This is definitely going to be my top go to recipe for banana bread.”
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Use up your ripe bananas – this is the perfect way to use up those super ripe bananas that always linger too long on the kitchen counter.
- Soft texture you love from banana bread – these banana chocolate chip bars have that soft and moist texture you love from banana bread, but in a snack cake form! It also bakes faster than banana bread because its not in a deep loaf pan.
- Serve as a snack or dessert – Serve this without the icing for a delicious snack OR add the chocolate ganache on top to make it a decadent dessert.
- Decorate with toppings – serve this in place of a birthday cake or another cake at a special gathering. Top it with sprinkles to really make it festive.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients you need to make these banana bars with chocolate ganache. For a full list of ingredients and amounts please head to the full recipe.
- Very ripe bananas – the bananas must be extra ripe to give these bars the right level of sweetness
- Unsalted butter – unsalted butter adds the right level of moisture to these delicious bars
- Brown sugar – adds some richness to this recipe
- Eggs – to help bind the ingredients together
- Sour cream – to add a little extra protein to this recipe, you can use Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream
- All purpose flour – if you would like to make this recipe gluten free, you can substitute 1 for 1 gluten free flour
- Semi sweet chocolate chips – just combine these and heavy cream to make the delicious chocolate ganache
If you want to make another minimal prep sweet treat, try these peanut butter chocolate rice krispie treats or these pumpkin oat chocolate chip cookie bars.
How to Make Banana Bars with chocolate ganache
Step 1: Combine melted butter, bananas, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
Step 2: Stir with a whisk to fully combine the wet ingredients.
Step 3: Pour the flour, baking soda and salt into the bowl.
Step 4: Fold dry ingredients into wet with a flat spatula. Add chocolate chips.
Step 5: Bake at 350F for 28-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Step 6: Prepare the ganache. Heat heavy cream and chocolate chips and whisk until it forms a ganache.
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best Banana Bars with chocolate ganache 🍌
- What to do if your bananas aren’t ripe enough – Luckily you can ripen bananas quickly in the oven. Heat your oven to 300F and place the bananas on a baking sheet. Place in the oven at 300F and cook until the peels turn black. Remove from the oven, cool completely and use for this banana bar recipe!
- Use the perfect ratio for chocolate ganache – Traditional chocolate ganache is 1:1 mixture of chocolate and warm heavy cream. When stirred together, the two form a smooth and glossy chocolate sauce. You can make ganache thicker or thinner by adjusting that ratio. I like to use a 2:1 ratio to make a thicker chocolate ganache that is better for spreading over cakes like an icing.
- Let bars cool fully before spreading the ganache – Letting the bars fully cool will ensure that your ganache doesn’t get too runny.
Looking for another chocolate ganache recipe? Try this chocolate ganache cake.
Recipe FAQs
Which type of bananas should I use?
Use very ripe bananas for the best, sweetest flavor and texture in these bars.
Can I use a different type of chocolate?
I like semi-sweet best, but you can use dark or milk chocolate based on preference.
Can I use a different type of frosting other than ganache?
Yes, cream cheese frosting or peanut butter frosting are also popular and pair well with the flavors of these bars.
Storage of Banana Bars with chocolate ganache
I prefer to store the cut banana bars in the fridge. It helps the ganache stay firm and prevents them from going bad too quickly. I store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Other Easy Dessert Recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Banana Bars with Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
Banana bread ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 1 stick unsalted butter 8 tbsp
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Ganache ingredients
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Place ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Melt the stick of butter and pour into the bowl with the mashed bananas followed by the brown sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Whisk to combine the wet ingredients. Pour the flour, baking soda and salt into the bowl and fold in with a spatula. Then fold in the chocolate chips
- Pour the batter into a lined 9×13 baking dish. Place in the oven and back at 350F for 28-30 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the pan and if it comes out clean they are fully baked.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely. While they are cooling prepare the ganache. Heat heavy cream on the stove top until just starting to boil. Pour scalded cream over the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl.
- Mix the ganache constantly with a whisk until the milk is fully incorporated into the chocolate and a smooth ganache remains.
- Allow the ganache to cool completely. ONLY when the banana bars and the ganache are completely cool, pour ganache over top of the bars.
- Garnish with flakey sea salt and cut into squares
Recipe Notes
- Use extra ripe bananas – to ripe banana quickly place in the oven at 300F until the peel turns black
- To make gluten free use a 1:1 gluten free flour blend
- Use regular chocolate frosting, cream cheese frosting, or peanut butter icing in place of ganache if desired
- Traditional chocolate ganache is 1:1 mixture of chocolate and warm heavy cream. When stirred together, the two form a smooth and glossy chocolate sauce. You can make ganache thicker or thinner by adjusting that ratio.
- Letting the bars fully cool will ensure that your ganache doesn’t get too runny.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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