Banana Brownies
These banana brownies are dark, fudgy and indulgent with a subtle sweetness of ripe bananas. The perfect treat to make when your bananas are overripe and you’re sick of banana bread, if that could ever happen lol.
Why you’ll love these banana brownies?
- Most of my banana recipes use 3 ripe bananas so this recipe is perfect if you only have 2 ripe bananas (can also make a half batch if you only have 1 banana).
- They’re pretty straightforward to make, just like all my other brownie recipes but with the addition of mashed bananas.
- They’re fairly quick, super easy to make and versatile. They can be made with dairy free and gluten free ingredients, if needed.
For my favorite, basic brownie recipe check out my fudge brownies and brown butter brownies. I have some other variations as well like biscoff, oreo fudge and hot chocolate, and peppermint marshmallow, that I think you’ll love!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter: the butter gets melted so it doesn’t matter if it’s cold but it is quicker if the butter is already soft. I like salted butter but unsalted works too, just add an extra ¼ tsp of salt.
- Chocolate: you can use milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate.
- Eggs: always use large, room temperature eggs. Place them in hot water for 5-10 minutes if they’re cold.
- Sugar: I used just granulated sugar in this recipe but light brown sugar would also work fine.
- Sugar helps get a great texture in brownies so if you want them less sweet, I recommend using dark chocolate chips instead of reducing the sugar.
- Flour: I always use all-purpose flour and don’t recommend substituting. Should work fine with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend though.
- I also HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is almost always over measured.
- Cocoa Powder: the better quality your cocoa powder is, the better your brownies will taste! My favorite is King Arthur Dutch Process Cocoa Powder or Rodelle Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. Make sure you’re not using sweetened cocoa powder though!
- Salt: salt brings out the flavor in all baked goods and little flakey sea salt on top is what I live for.
- Bananas: I always recommend weighing bananas when baking with them. I use large ripe bananas and weigh them after removing the peel, I almost always get 125 grams per banana. If you have more, leave it out; if you’re just a little short, add a little water to increase the volume.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Melt the butter with the chocolate chips and stir until they’re completely smooth.
- Mash the bananas until they look like puree and there are no more large chunks.
- Whisk the eggs with the sugars aggressively for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and whisk again until it’s completely combined.
- Add the mashed bananas, mixing until those are completely combined.
- Add the cocoa powder and mix until it’s well combined.
- Add the flour and salt and whisk just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Add the chocolate chips and fold just until they’re evenly distributed.
- Spread the brownie batter in the pan and bake for about 45 minutes, remove and tap it on the counter. The brownies should level off if they’re baked. If they sink below the edge, put them back in the oven for a few minutes.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 30-60 minutes before removing and slicing.
When are brownies done baking?
When the top of your brownies have a thin little crackle on top, you can press on it with your finger to see how firm the brownies are underneath. When you move the pan, if the batter jiggles, it’s definitely not done baking.
You want to be able to push your finger on the top (in the center) and feel some resistance. It should feel like a brownie that’s a little “too gooey but almost perfect”. At this point, you’ll remove them from the oven and they will continue to bake as they’re cooling. If they’re firm when you remove them from the oven, they won’t be very gooey once they’re completely cooled and everyone wants gooey brownies.
Another thing I do to check for doneness is to tap the pan on the counter when I take it out of the oven. If the brownies level off perfectly, they’re done. If the center of the brownies sink below the edges, then put them back in the oven for a few minutes.
Can I just use the toothpick test?
Many people like to insert a toothpick into the center of baked goods to test for doneness. Usually if the toothpick is clean or if there are only a few moist crumbs on it then a cake is done baking. That doesn’t work for brownies. We want gooey, fudge brownies so when we remove them from the oven, they will still be a little undercooked and will finish baking as they cool.
How to get a thin crackly top for homemade brownies?
To get the perfect crackly top on these brownies you want to make sure you whisk the eggs with the sugar aggressively for 2-3 minutes. It helps if the eggs are at room temperature.
Also the melted chocolate chips contribute to that crackly top so make sure not to skip anything in the recipe!
How to perfectly slice brownies?
Ok I don’t know if it’s just me but if I’m not careful to take these extra steps, my brownies always end up looking like a pile of not so tasty brown stuff instead of a delicious pile of brownies.
To get my brownies perfectly sliced it’s best to chill the brownies briefly. I froze them for about 20 minutes after they’ve cooled and then I ALWAYS run my large knife under hot water between every slice I cut.
Yes, between every slice. Because they’re fudgy, some of the gooey chocolate gets stuck on the knife and if you just go to cut another slice it gets less and less pretty.
How to store brownies?
Once the brownies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container. They can stay at room temperature for a few days and in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Make sure to bring them back to room temperature when serving.
There are so many brownie recipes out there and I’m sure so many of them are amazing but I hope you give my banana brownies a chance.
If you make these, I would love it if you left me a star rating or a review 🙂
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Banana Brownie Recipe
These banana brownies are dark, fudgy and indulgent with a subtle sweetness of ripe bananas. The perfect treat to make when your bananas are overripe and you're sick of banana bread lol.
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 medium heat proof bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 8 inch square pan
Ingredients
- 2 (250g) medium bananas mashed
- 1/2 cup (113g) salted butter
- 1 cup (6oz) chocolate chips any kind works, I like dark
- 1 1/4 cup (250g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (26g) Dutch-process cocoa powder spooned and leveled
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips any kind works, I like dark
- whipped cream
- 1 banana slices for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F/163C convection (325F/163C conventional) and grease and line an 8×8” pan with baking spray and parchment paper (leaving an overhang to easily remove them).
- Weigh the bananas after peeling them and then mash them until they look like banana puree.2 (250g) medium bananas
- Place the butter and chocolate in a medium, heat proof bowl and microwave for 1 minute, remove and stir until the chocolate and butter is melted and combined.1/2 cup (113g) salted butter, 1 cup (6oz) chocolate chips
- In a large bowl, place the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and eggs. Whisk them together aggressively for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is completely smooth.1 1/4 cup (250g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/3 cup (26g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Add in the melted chocolate and butter and whisk until the mixture is fully combined.
- Add in the mashed bananas and whisk together until they're completely combined.
- Add in the flour and salt and whisk just until there’s only a few streaks of flour left.1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Fold in the rest of the chocolate chips and spread into the prepared pan.1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. The top should be thin and crackly and puffed in the enter.
- Tap it against the counter a couple of times, it should deflate a little but not be jiggly at all. When you press on it, it should feel soft underneath but not liquid-y.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 30-60 minutes. Refrigerate for a little if you want clean slices. Top with a pinch of sea salt flakes or top with whipped cream and banana slices.1 banana slices, whipped cream
Nutrition
Calories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 128mgPotassium: 174mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 225IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
What is the oven temperature?
My kids loved these! I didn’t obtain the crackly top but the texture was otherwise fudgy and delicious. The banana flavor was fairly prominent – I think I overall prefer banana-less brownies but gotta use up those old bananas somehow! Thanks for the recipe – it was the first one to pop up on a google search for “banana brownies.”
Can you freeze them?
Yes, you can freeze them. I have personally done so myself. Just make sure it’s air tight.
Great idea but at no point is it mentioned when to incorporate the bananas. Luckily i thought of your IG video but the steps seemed different. All good though, hopefully they come out good in 30.
Step 6 – add banana