Breaking Bad Banana Bars

on
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Fluffy banana bread bars loaded with chocolate chips.






Breaking Bad Banana Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or more)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch baking dish with foil; coat foil with cooking spray.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar, until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in banana, vanilla, and egg, until well combined. Beat in flour mixture until just combined.
Scrape batter into dish, and smooth surface. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top. Bake at 350 degrees F, for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

Yield: 9 bars

39 comments on "Breaking Bad Banana Bars"
  1. Emiline I live in an are here in Sydney that pretty much sounds like the meth capital...Besides that I love these bars...they look yumm and quite easy too...

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  2. how is it that i've never heard of this show? more importantly, how is it that i've never eaten the sure-to-be-delicious combination of bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate?

    thanks for opening my eyes to both! :)

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  3. Now, I must hide some bananas to ripen because it's the only fruit that disappears at no time. That's why I have never NEVER made anything with banana in it.

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  4. Take those chocolate chips off and they'd be perfect -- LOL. You need to be an entertainment reporter -- good critique of the show.

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  5. I love baking with bananas, Emiline, but have never paired them with peanut butter - what a delicious idea!

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  6. I haven't seen this show..I guess I have been watching the Food Network. I have some bananas in the freezer...I will have to get "cracking":D Sorry for the pun...it is actually a very serious subject and the struggle people have breaking the habit of drugs.

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  7. Mmmm...banana! I've been craving banana-flavoured baked goods lately- PERFECT!

    My sister is a tough critic, too. Although, rather than "tough critic," I call her whiney and picky. But you're much nicer, it seems.

    (Oh and I totally first read the title as that you were breaking up some bad-tasting banana bars, like the recipe was horrible or something. lol.)

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  8. This looks about as dangerous and the peanut butter blondies I've been making and eating (too often). Peanut butter, banana and chocolate - can't go wrong with that combination.

    I haven't heard of the show either. I wonder if it's playing in Canada.

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  9. whoa. scary. I thought I lived in the meth capital...I've "taken care of" many meth heads in my previous life, and all I can say, there's nothing more cruel to the soul.

    on the other hand, these lovely banana bars are good for the soul.

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  10. My husband won't let a banana go bad - I need to do what Ivy said and hide some bananas!

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  11. We never have banana's in our house. The dog is the only one who eats them! I love banana flavored things but for some reason I can't just eat a whole banana!!! My cousin brought a banana over for her little boy and left it at my house, if I don't feed it to the dog, I can let it get too ripe and make these!!!!!

    (Maybe I'll even make a little section without chocolate for him!!!)

    Thanks for the recipe and idea!

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  12. My god those look amazing. I am imagining them sprinkled with my favorite Ghiardelli milk chocolate chips... only I will eat them in front of the next season of Dexter :)

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  13. This is a new show to me. But with the abundance of cable and sattelite TV its so hard to keep up( as I watch my cable guy work).These bars look yummy although I cant stand peanut butter. I would replace that. But banana's and chocolate ! Yes!

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  14. I have some ripe bananas -- maybe I'll make those. Although I'm still on the fence about the banana/peanut butter combo.

    I haven't seen that show but I have enough to watch on TV.

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  15. For a moment I thought you were going to give us a recipe for cookies with meth in them. My hopes went way up! LOL. j/k I've never touched any drug in my life :-/ But those bars look really good, anything with bananas, peanut butter and chocolate is good. Now I need some chocolate to start my afternoon :-p

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  16. Great combination of flavor in those bars, some of my favorites!! They look delish! Enjoy the rest of your shows!! I've got so many things tivo'd right now it's ridiculous!!

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  17. Oh my gosh, these look to dye for! I'm definitely going to be addicted to Banana bars!

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  18. Another idea for using up those blackening bananas - great recipe.

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  19. Those look good. I really enjoy baking with bananas. Baking with bananas, peanut butter and chocolate sounds great! Bookmarked

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  20. Hahaha! I thought I lived in the meth capital of the world!

    I love how you made this recipe about hard drugs. I love this recipe, and will probably actually make it. Banana-y, peanut butter goodness with chocolate chips! Gimme a glass of ice-cold milk for those puppies and it's a party. :)

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  21. Wish I had found this recipe before I gobbled down that slightly over-the-hill banana last nite...

    I don't get cable, so I can't watch the show. But I could go outside and watch the meth heads. Everyone seems to think that they live in the meth capital of the world, and I'm no exception. What does THAT say?!!

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  22. Sometimes simple is good. These look like something my kids would love.

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  23. Boy, do those look good!

    I have no idea what breaking bad means. I saw Brian Cranston interviewed on something or other and his explanation was completely incomprehensible. Any ideas?

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  24. i do love foods in bar form.

    i think i'm biased against this show, because every morning on my walk to work i have to pass an enormous billboard of the main character standing in the desert in his underpants holding a shotgun. and it's creepy.

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  25. I guess there's more than one meth capital of the world.

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  26. That's like a smoothie in a bar! nice recipe Emiline:)

    btw, I've just sent you my entry for your event;hope you got it!

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  27. Peanut butter, chocolate, and banana, oh my!

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  28. OK so I'll be making these tonight. I just happen to have a ripe banana, smooth peanut butter and half a bag of chocolate chips. Yay!

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  29. Those bars look great. Sometimes, all that's needed is a quick treat for moments when only something sweet will do. Great combination, too! I'm also thinking peanuts would be good on it, too (my latest "addiction" is flourless peanut-chocolate cookies, which is how I fell in love with the peanut-on-peanut taste!).

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  30. Where do you mix the meth in the recipe? With the butter or the egg? :-)
    Looks yummy!

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  31. They do sound homey and good :)

    I'll have to check out the TV show... I tend to get addicted to shows like that (better than being addicted to meth, I guess!)

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  32. I made these last night and they were a delicious dessert! Kids loved them too! They were an even better breakfast this morning! Yum! And so easy to make. Mine were like cake. I'll make this over and over! Thanks!

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  33. I love bananas and pb, Pb and chocolte, and bananas and chocolate, so the three together seem like they would be absolutely heavenly Another one for the must-make list.

    Wouldn't meth make you lose your appetite for them?(not that I would know or anything).

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  34. yum! i always love PB and banana together :) this is great way to use up ripe bananas besides the good old standby of banana bread...

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  35. Ok, I baked these instead of some of your other pb-banana creations (kudos, btw, for exploring that particularly delicious theme!) I am presently enjoying them with a glass of milk. The texture is outstanding, though mine are a little burned at the edges even after only 20 minutes - but I'm perfectly willing to blame my crappy 60-year-old oven. Very nice and cakey, not too sweet. It seems like it could use an extra kick, maybe more banana flavor? Still pretty tasty, though, and I will be back! I like your approach to baking.

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  36. omg! I love your banana recipes! YUMM. what kind of pan do you use? My quick breads never come out looking like yours do on the top...

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  37. Hi! Great banana recipes!! what kind of pan do you use for your bread?

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