Name: Banana Bread Bars (Inspired by Joanna Gaines)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min 45 s
Total time: 1 h 10 min 45 s
Yield: 1
Ingredients: nonstick baking spray; 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 1 cup packed light brown sugar; 2 large eggs, beaten; 1 1/2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract; 4 to 5 ripe bananas, mashed; 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 3/4 cup chocolate chips; cinnamon sugar (as much as you like!)

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These Banana Bread Bars inspired by Joanna Gaines are the perfect after school snack. Or perhaps the way I prefer them, for breakfast with a cup of coffee!

Bananas are one of those fruits that we buy weekly. Somehow they just automatically find their way into my grocery cart. Probably because Britton throws them in before I can even blink! Do you think we eat all those bananas? Almost never.

Once a spot appears on the skin, my boys reject them! And I always end up with a bunch of really overripe bananas I don’t want to waste. This leaves me constantly hunting for all great banana recipes. So when I stumbled upon Joanna Gaines After School Banana Bread, I immediately wanted to try it.

Of course the DIY in me had to change a few of the ingredients in the original recipe. What can I say, I love my chocolate chips!

So I made Banana Bread Bars with chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar.

banana bread bars inspired by Joanna Gaines

The end result? This recipe turned out so good! The first thing Chris noticed was that it wasn’t as dry. I think that might have to do with the amount of bananas.

My usually homemade banana bread recipe only calls for about three bananas. But these Banana Bread Bars have two extra bananas — so you know all that banana goodness is going to make a sweet treat.

Give Me All The Chocolate

Sebastian and I love to add chocolate chips to our banana bread – it’s the best part. Chris is not a fan of chocolate which I think is absolute insanity! 😉 He says the chocolate makes it too sweet.

I love him but I have to give him a hard time about that! Even with the chocolate chips, Chris devoured every bite. That’s got to convince you these fresh banana bread bars totally rocked! And now they have become a favorite recipe of ours!

Maybe it was that generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top that won him over! I don’t think it’s possible to add too much cinnamon sugar to a recipe. Well, I guess if the lid fell off and it poured out — that would officially cross the line.

The more I write about these Banana Bread Bars, the more I think maybe I’m addicted to chocolate and sugar. Ha! I guess that’s another post for a different day! 😉

For now, I’m just going to make my way to the kitchen, brew me another cup of coffee and snag a banana bread bar!

I do hope you will give these Banana Bread Bars a try. And if you haven’t bought Joanna Gaines Magnolia Table Cookbook, it’s a beautiful cookbook and I highly recommend it.

There’s actually so many great recipes in this cookbook that a group of bloggers and I teamed up to share our version of our favorite recipes. So be sure to check out the different recipes below!

Also, be sure to pin this recipe so you can make it anytime you want!

Banana Bread Bars (Inspired by Joanna Gaines)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes 45 seconds

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes 45 seconds

These sweet banana bread bars that were inspired by Joanna Gaines are the best after school snack!

Ingredients

nonstick baking spray
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
4 to 5 ripe bananas, mashed
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips
cinnamon sugar (as much as you like!)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 7 x 11-inch pan with non-stick baking spray or you can line with parchment paper if you prefer.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Add the bananas and mix until combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat just until combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar (generously) over the top, covering the whole surface completely with sugar!
Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the bread cool slightly in the pan on a rack. Serve warm