Chocolate Banana Bars

These Chocolate Banana Bars are a delicious, chocolaty dessert bar,  full of ripe bananas, chocolate chips, All-Bran Cereal, and walnuts. They are frosted with a rich chocolate frosting that will make you feel like you’re cheating, when in fact they are only about 155 calories per serving. Satisfy that chocolate craving today!

Chocolate Banana Bars – Turn those brown bananas into something amazing!

Can you hear that? It’s those over-ripe bananas on your counter trying to get your attention. They are saying “please turn me into something spectacular.” Don’t let them down, turn those sad brown bananas into these scrumptious Chocolate Banana Bars! 

I know, most of us look at over-ripe bananas and vow to make banana bread until you just toss them in the trash. But banana bread isn’t the only thing to do with ripe bananas! Heck no! 

And – while we are on the subject of tossing those brown ‘naners – just don’t. You can freeze them and use them when you’re ready to bake up something beautiful, or even just pop them into your favorite smoothie.

Chocolate Banana Bars – a Better For you Dessert Bar

So, I am delivering something sweet, but with a bit of a healthier twist, and help when you ask the question, “What am I going to do with these ripe bananas?”

I actually wrote this post back in October as a guest post on my friend, Debra’s blog, Bowl Me Over. When I asked her what kind of a recipe she would like, she told me something sweet, and this was what I chose. 

Chocolate Banana Bars with All-Bran Cereal

Now if I didn’t tell you that these gooey banana bars with chocolate chips contained a bran cereal, you would never know.  I mean, there isn’t a trace of them once they are baked.  But it leaves behind the benefit of having it in there. 

You see, most people don’t want to chat about fiber in their diets, but also, most people aren’t getting the amount they should. Adding more fiber to your diet can help to lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, helps with digestive health and can even make you feel fuller longer, aiding in weight loss for some. 

Now I am not saying that these Chocolate Banana Bars aren’t rich and decadent, nor am I touting that they are some sort of healthy food. But what I am saying is adding the All-Bran Cereal to them, along with the bananas, is doing you some good while you enjoy your chocolate dessert bar. 

Ingredients in Chocolate Banana Bars

Chances are, you might have everything you need to make these Banana Chocolate Bars right in your pantry this very minute. Most of the items are pretty basic, actually, the only thing I didn’t have on hand was the cereal, but that was a super easy fix. Here’s what you’ll need to make this All-Bran Chocolate Banana Bar Recipe:

Shopping List:

• flour
• baking powder and soda
• salt
• cinnamon
• granulated and powdered sugar
• vanilla
• butter
• egg
• milk
• chocolate chips
• ripe bananas
• Kellogg’s All-Bran Cereal

  *You will find the full printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

   

Chocolate Banana Bars – Instructions

These chocolate banana bars and their chocolate frosting come together in minutes. All you will need for tools is a mixer, mixing bowl, rubber spatula, a sifter or fine mesh strainer, and a 9×13 baking dish.  This is how you make the bars:

1. First, in a mixing bowl, cream together butter, egg, sugar, and mashed bananas.
2. Mix in All-Bran Cereal.
3. After that, the melted chocolate.
4. Next, Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the wet mixture. Add milk. Mix to combine.
5. Fold in walnuts.
6. Finally, Spread into the prepared baking dish and bake.

Chocolate Banana Bar Frosting – Instructions

Now it’s time to make the chocolate frosting for our chocolate banana bars.

1. Once you have cooled the chocolate banana bars in the pan, it’s time to frost them.
2. First, melt butter and chocolate chips together.
3. Next, stir in powdered sugar, milk, salt and vanilla.
4. Finally, spread frosting on cooled bars.
5. Cut into 32 squares.

Love them? Pin Them!

If you can’t wait to make these, then make sure you pin them to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!

Tips/FAQ’s/Variations for this Chocolate Banana Bar Recipe

Baking is a bit of a science, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t switch things up to make my recipe for Chocolate Banana Bars all your own!

Tips

• These are great for pot lucks. Note if there are people with allergies, it might be a good idea to not add the walnuts if you don’t know for sure who will be eating them. Alternatively, you can place a walnut on top of each bar like I did, to make sure people know there are nuts inside. 
• These are really super moist. I found that placing them in the fridge, then cut them when they were cold made it much easier. 

FAQ’s

• Can you store ripe bananas? Yes! In fact, it couldn’t be easier. I even wrote a post on it “How to Freeze Ripe Bananas.” That way you’ll have some ready to go the next time you want to make these chocolate banana bars or other banana recipes that you love. 
• Can these bars be frozen? Absolutely! I wouldn’t add that walnut to the top though until you are ready to eat them later.  Just store them in an airtight container, in the freezer,  for up to 3 months. 
• Can I substitute whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour? You can. But recipes do vary. In some cases, you can swap out all of the AP flour for whole wheat flour, in others only part of it.  I would suggest swapping out 1/2 to 2/3 of the whole amount to make sure it works. 

Variations

• As mentioned, swapping out some of the AP flour for whole wheat flour is doable. It will even increase the “healthiness” of the bars.
• Don’t like walnuts? Use pecan or peanuts, or leave them out entirely. 
• Use milk chocolate chips, or use bittersweet chocolate if you love that dark chocolate as I do!
• Frost them with a cream cheese frosting or a peanut butter frosting for something different.

More Recipes that Use Ripe Bananas

I love recipes that use bananas! Bananas might be one of the fruits that I bake with the most.  There are loads of ways you can use ripe bananas in recipes!

• The BEST Banana Bread
• Banana Bread Coffee Cake
• Chocolate Orange Banana Bread
• Banana Bread Pancakes
• Nutty Monkey Smoothie Shown Above (also can be made into a yummy cocktail)
• Chocolate Banana Cake
• Blueberry Banana Bundt Cake with Blueberry Buttercream Icing

I got this recipe from a really old cookbook that I was gifted by my dear friend, Gail. It’s called Cooking with Love and Cereal and it has some really great recipes in it! 

I hope that you enjoy this Chocolate Banana Bar recipe as much as we do! 

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Print Recipe

Chocolate Banana Bars

These Chocolate Banana Bars are a delicious, chocolaty dessert bar,  full of ripe bananas, chocolate chips, All-Bran Cereal, and walnuts. They are frosted with a rich chocolate frosting that will make you feel like you're cheating, when in fact they are only about 155 calories per serving. Satisfy that chocolate craving today!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Bars

Cuisine: American

Keyword: All-Bran Cereal, An Affair from the Heart, banana, bars, chocolate, chocolate frosting, mashed banana, uses for ripe bananas, walnuts

Servings: 9 x13 baking dish

Calories: 155kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Equipment

• 9x13 Pyrex Baking Dish with a Lid
• Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
• KitchenAid Hand Mixer 

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For the Bars

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 ripe bananas mashed (1 cup)
• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup Kellogg's All Bran Cereal
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts plus a few more to garnish

For the Frosting

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, egg, sugar and mashed bananas.
• Mix in All-Bran Cereal and then melted chocolate.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the wet mixture.
• Add milk. Mix to combine.
• Fold in walnuts.
• Spread into prepared baking dish.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan.
• To prepare the frosting: Melt butter and chocolate chips together, stir in powdered sugar, milk, salt and vanilla.
• Spread frosting on cooled bars.
• Cut into 32 squares.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g