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Square side shot of a tray of banana bars.
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Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

A simple banana bar recipe is finished with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting for an easy homemade dessert!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword banana bar, banana bar recipe, banana bars, banana bars recipe, banana bars with cream cheese frosting
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings 24 bars
Calories 257kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

FOR THE BARS

  • ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas or 4 smaller bananas)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (OR SUB WITH STORE-BOUGHT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING)

  • 1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened at room temperature
  • ¼ cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

FOR THE BARS

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream together the butter and sugar, about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, bananas, and vanilla extract.
    Process shot showing how to make banana bars.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
    Whisking together the dry ingredients for a banana bars recipe.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Beat on medium speed until combined.
    Banana bar batter in a white mixing bowl.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Tap on the counter a couple of times to release any big air bubbles.
    Spreading the batter for banana bars in a jelly roll pan.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
    A simple banana bar recipe baked in a jelly roll pan before adding the frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING

  • In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract; beat until fluffy and smooth. Spread on cooled bars.
    Spreading cream cheese frosting on top of a pan of baked banana bars.
  • Slice into squares and serve.
    Square side shot of a stack of banana bars on a white table.

Notes

  • This recipe is adapted from The Amish Family Cookbook by Jerry S. Eicher and Tina Eicher.
  • Optional mix-ins: chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, chopped nuts (such as walnuts or pecans). You can also garnish the frosting with chopped nuts on top or a dusting of ground cinnamon.
  • If using store-bought frosting, I recommend purchasing two 16-ounce cans so that you have plenty of frosting for a nice thick layer on top (you likely will not need all of it, though).

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 347IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg