1.30.2012

Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting

Well, that weekend FLEW by!  I can't believe it's Monday already, I feel like I just left the office on Friday.  What the heck...

But I guess that would indicate a good weekend, huh?  Robbie and I had another lovely couple of days, very laid back and relaxed.  Just our style.  Let's have a little recap.
Saturday morning Robbie had to go into work for a few hours [it's busy season, remember?], so I hopped off [not literally] to the gym to meet Hollyann for a little workout.  That afternoon, I met up with Robbie at Starbucks to work for a few more hours, and then we were off to the Creighton Men's Basketball game vs. Bradley.  All in all, the game wasn't too crazy, there didn't seem to be much energy from the players or fans.  It was one of those games where you knew the 'good' team would pull it out, so regardless of a close score no one got overly excited.  But Creighton did 'pull it out', marking their 20th win of the season.


On Sunday, Robbie and I got our hair[s] cut together and then hung out with the pups at home for the rest of the day.  And don't worry, I definitely got some baking in on Sunday with our free time, but I'm saving that kitchen adventure for later this week.  So stay tuned.

Anywho, what do these Banana Bread Bars have to do with anything?  Well, nothing.  I'm having a hard time correlating anything significant from our weekend to these bars.  Dang it.  But one thing is for sure, they are outrageously addicting and will become one of my go-to banana recipes from here on out.  They are that scrumptious.

You may recall the Banana Cake I made just a bit ago and say to yourself "what's the diff?".  And you'll say 'diff', too.  Now don't get me wrong, the Banana Cake was fantastic, as every recipe has been from Bake or Break, and much more of a classic rendition.  But what we have here is anything but classic.  However, I still can't seem to fathom why I haven't seen more recipes with bananas and brown butter, because this, ladies and gents, should be illegal.  In all 50 states.


These bars?  OooOOo, these bars.  So stinkin' good!  The banana bars themselves are, yes, reminiscent of  banana bread, yet a touch more dense.  They actually kind of remind me of the texture of my favorite Pumpkin Bars, ridiculously moist and full.  And the banana flavor is extrememly prominent but absolutely wonderful.  But what takes these bars to the next level and beyond is the brown butter frosting.  I can't really explain it, but this combination just works.  More than works, actually.  It's like peanut butter and jelly, simply made for each other.  Got me?

Please note, my description did, in no way, do these bars justice.  You'll just have to make them to see for yourself.  Waistline, be warned  .

My Notes:
  • When browning the butter, make sure to pay close attention.  The 'turn' happens quickly and before you know it, you'll have extra burnt butter, which is not good...

Ingredients:
Banana Bread Bars:
1-1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1-3/4 c. (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. milk

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 375F.  Grease and flour 15x10-inch jelly roll pan.  For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy.  Blend in bananas and vanilla extract.  Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute.  Stir in walnuts.

2.  Spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3.  Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.  Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.




4.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.  Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting).  Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm). 

Yield: 2 dozen large bars

277 comments:

  1. "waistline be warned" for sure!" when we become neighbors some day, I'm going to gain 20 lbs!

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  2. Oh Jess I'm dying here. Oh YUM, YUM,YUM! These look so delicious. And brown butter icing. I have got to make these....like tomorrow. Can hardly wait to taste them.

    Nann

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  3. Oh my, that frosting is making me drool! Thanks for making me hungry this week at Crazy Sweet Tuesday. :)

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  4. I love your recipe! Would you come over to Cast Party Wednesday and share it?
    http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/?p=23692
    Thanks,
    I hope to see you there!
    ---Sheryl---

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  5. I have three very ripe bananas staring at me forlornly. Clearly its time to make banana cake.

    Think the mums at playgroup will love me all the more if I slathered it with that frosting!

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  6. That looks so delicious. The perfect breakfast food!!! Come visit. We have a great cookie today!

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  7. These caught my eye firs thing on the Saturday blog hop. I have some bananas I need to use up and didn't want to make banana bread again. Thanks for the yummy looking recipe!

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  8. Hi Jess, I surfed to your blog from a post on ... Pinterest. WOW !!! I am in total awe of your amazing photographs and directions !!!!!
    It's like I could EAT the food right off the computer screen. :)

    I know the TIME and EFFORT that goes into taking the photos and then adjusting them for the blog.

    Please consider adding a 'watermark' back to your blog on your photos. That way, folks would be able to get here more easily. Normally the shared photos on Pinterest do link back to a blog, but just to be sure.

    To illustrate my suggestion, I grabbed a photo and added the blog address using Arial font in size 14.

    http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/6160/bb1ri.jpg

    I'm certainly going to try these. I love banana bread and never thought of making bars.

    XO XO
    Debra

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so very much for the compliments and the suggestion about the watermark. I've added watermarks to all of my pictures since you recommended this, great tip!

      I'd love to hear if you made these bars though, you'll LOVE them :)

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  9. Oh, I'm just dying now to get this treat with my evening tea.. :) too bad I don't even have enough ingredients to make it..

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  10. leann butler2/18/2012 5:46 PM

    I just made these! PERFECT recipe! I loved them, and I am taking them over to my in-laws tomorrow!

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  11. Holy cow. This frosting is quite possibly the best thing I've ever tasted. Thanks so much for the recipe!!! I forgot to bring them into work today and I'm pretty much hating my life right now because I want some so badly!

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    1. Oh yay! I'm so glad to hear you made these, aren't they ridiculous?! It's okay you forgot them, now you get to go home after work to a pan full of these lovelies :)

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  12. Made this today and they are great! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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    1. Oh, how great! I'm so glad you like these, they are one of my favs :)

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  13. My daughter (4) and I made these together this weekend after I found your recipe on pinterest... They were so delicious!!! It's a good thing we shared some with friends cause I could have easily ate the whole pan myself ( though not in one sitting of course ;) )

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    1. Haha I know exactly what you mean, I always have to give the stuff away or it could get dangerous :)

      Thanks so much for sharing with me that you and your daughter made these, I absolutely love hearing when other people try my recipes!

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    2. I agree. Luckily, for me, your recipe was so popular that my family ate it all before there could be any leftovers. I only had one square! Just another reason to bake these again :D

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  14. You know, these remind me of this cake I was addicted to when I was little: Sara Lee Banana Cake! omg - the last two years I've been looking for a good copycat recipe so I used a Banana cake recipe from AllRecipes and a Brown Butter Frosting that I found on another site. I'm going to try yours because it looks like you have the cake to recipe ratio pretty good. Your pictures look scrumptious! If you feel adventurous, add a little cream cheese to the icing - it just gives the icing a little bit more texture/thickness (but don't add too much or it gets too tangy.)
    I am baking this tomorrow!!

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  15. Hello,
    These bars look fantastic and I wanna bake them tonight!
    I do not have a jelly roll pan...have you tried baking them in a 9x12in pan? I was wondering how much to adjust the time since the bars will be thicker. Thanks for your input!

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    Replies
    1. I made these tonite and used a 9x12 Pyrex dish and they turned out fine
      Still baked them for 25 min

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  16. These are amazing! The only problem I had was keeping the kids out of my glaze while the bread was finishing up in the oven :)

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  17. Anonymous- I just baked mine in a 9x12 glass pan last night. I didn't really keep track, but I want to say it took about 15-20 minutes longer that way.

    I also added a little cinnamon to both the bread and the frosting. Yum! This is a new favorite recipe :)

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  18. Looking forward to making these tommorrow morning, don't have butter--just Blue bonnett...will have to buy butter in the morning...can't wait!!!JNooney in NC

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  19. I made these as our father's day treat today. SO GOOD

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  20. I made these for Fathers day also, they were sooooooo Good. will make agin.

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  21. I just made these for the first time today for Fathers' Day. We've got one happy daddy on our hands! The frosting itself is so addictive. I make to-die-for home made caramels and the frosting tastes a lot like them. My family is in heaven! Thank you for this amazing recipe. These might be the best dessert ever in the history of ever!

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  22. Holy bananas, literally!!! These are cooling now & thankfully, I didn't eat all of the frosting- What?!?! Delish!!! I did thin the frosting a bit so it's more like a glaze (like on a Texas sheet cake), but either way...You go girl!!! Awesome recipe! :-) High 5!

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  23. Super delicious! I changed it up just a bit and used coconut oil instead of butter (in the batter only), 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white flour and 1/2 cup Xilitol sweetener and 1 cup Turbino brown cane sugar. Yes, I do have to try to make them just a tiny bit healthy! They turned out great! I also added a dash of cinnamon to the mix and the frosting.

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  24. Oh wow... thank goodness for Pinterest. I'm making these. Stat. :)

    (Super cute blog, by the way!)

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  25. Made these this morning! Yum! My hubby won't touch banana anything but my 16 month old twin boys LOVE them! Taking the majority over to my folks and my aunt so I don't indulge too much! A new favorite, thanks!

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  26. this is one of the best banana bread recipes I've tried, and I have tried many. The only thing is, the frosting was way to thick to apply to the bars...

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    1. that's why she said to apply it while bars are warm. The frosting is perfecct

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    2. My frosting turned out the same way and I did add it to the bars when they were warm. It still tastes good though.

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    3. My frosting was too thick too.. And my bars were hot out of the oven. I just added more milk the next time so I could at least get the powdered sugar mixed in.

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    4. Mine was really thick too. I hand patted it, spread it out over the bars, popped in oven for 2 minutes and it spread out a little better after that

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    5. I didn't use the full 4 cups, probably more like 2 1/2. I just monitored the consistency as I was adding and stopped when I thought it was what I wanted.

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  27. This is amazing!!! Once I read the recipe I knew I had to make them. There's no way I can go back to plain old frosting after tasting the browned butter variety. Thank you for this recipe - my husband's co-worker came for dinner yesterday and when I served this still warm from the oven, he told hubby I was perfect, haha. :-)

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  28. Have you tested with wheat flour or as a gluten free?

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    Replies
    1. I just made them with gluten-free all purpose flour and it turned out perfectly!

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  29. Hollie Cameron6/23/2012 1:45 PM

    Made these yesterday afternoon. They were still warm when my husband got home and he loved them! The frosting was a little thick - we live at a high altitude with an extremely dry climate. I just added more milk until it was a consistency that looked good. The bread is wonderfully dense and moist! Thank you for the recipe!

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  30. Thanks for sharing your recipe; can't wait to make it!

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  31. Made these tonight & they were wonderful!

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  32. Substituted Fage Greek Yogurt for sour cream and 1/2 wheat flour - turned out great!

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  33. Made this...yummy! Had to add more milk in the frosting.

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  34. Help all i have is a 9x11 pyrex dish. How long should i bake for? Or should i just try a half recipe in a 9x9 square pan?


    Sincerely,
    Newbie baker

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    1. So sorry for the late response, I'm assuming you already tried these but if not, I would bet 30 minutes would be good but be sure to watch them. Using a toothpick will help you determine when the cake is done. I'd love to hear how your experience was/is!

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  35. I am currently in banana heaven. I was getting sick of the old staple banana bread for overripe bananas when I came across this recipe on Pinterest. Super yummy!! They are still warm out of the pan but I just had to take a fork break to comment on how amazing these bars are. Thank you!!!

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  36. Just had to try this tonight. Love the banana bread recipe! I actually didn't have to use all of the brown butter glaze in order to get all of the bars covered with a good layer. Can't wait to have another piece in the morning for breakfast. :)

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  37. I made these yesterday using a 9X13 pan and cut the frosting recipe in half... So delish

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  38. Made these today. Amazing!!

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  39. I made these for my husband to take to his work crew. When he returned home he had several pounds of bananas with him (courtesy of his crew)with a request for more more more! I could not imagine anyone needing to change a thing about this recipe. It is perfect as is! thank you.....

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  40. Excellent!! My husband just retired from the Navy on Thursday. I wanted to make him a cake today....& I made this! So yummy! I didn't have sour cream so I used what I had on hand. I used vanilla flavored Greek yogurt. Worked in a pinch! Thanks for a great recipe...it's a keeper!

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  41. I loved your recipe and posted a link to it on my blog: http://www.withglitteringeyes.com/2012/07/thanks-bunch.html

    Nadia

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  42. Sorry does the recipe say 1.5 cups of sugar or .5 cups of sugar?? Thanks!

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  43. We made these the other day and they were to die for!!! Thanks for sharing. Our yummy treat for the summer.

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  44. Made these for family breakfast this morning and they were amazing; especially with a cup of coffee! Next time I will thin the frosting a little more but the taste was out of this world!

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  45. Oh cannot wait to try these this weekend! Awesome idea

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  46. Yum! Just made them. Kids have wiped through half in about 5 mins. Thanks for the recipe.

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  47. Found this recipe on pinterest a week ago. Have already made them twice! Perfect packaged and taken to our local chemotherapy clinic! So yummy!

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  48. omg I just made this and it is heaven. I taste like I was eating a fresh banana. so if you love bananas you will love this.

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  49. Oh my goodness - these were delicious! I took them to VBS this morning and they were devoured in no time! Can't wait to make again!

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  50. Love! When I made the frosting, I removed the butter from the heat before it turned brown. Still tasted great to me. What does letting it turn brown do?

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    1. what does letting it turn brown do?? Ohh, it gives it the most delicious flavour ever! Caramelizes it and gives it sort of a nutty flavour! You need a do-over!

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  51. My tummy hurts!!! Lol I made these last night and in 14 hrs I've eaten 1/4 of the batch. These are to DIE for. Thank you!! I cannot get over how fast & east it was too. Less then 30 mins including baking time. I will be following you from now on!

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  52. Yep, these are the best! I just made them. I will make 1/2 amount of frosting next time so I don't over-power the cake.

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  53. These are INCREDIBLE!! They just came out of the oven and holy you weren't kidding how good they are! And the brown butter sauce has been filed away in the I'm NEVER forgetting this section! Thank you thank you thank you for my new favorite easy dessert! Much appreciated! :~D

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  54. Made these tonight and they were soo good but mine weren't brown? I used 3 overripe bananas, should I have used 4?

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  55. Made these tonight and the frosting was so thick even on warm bars it was hard to work with. Checked my measurements any idea where I went wrong?

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    1. Gosh, I'm not quite sure. But I do remember it taking a little work to spread the frosting, it's rather thick (as you've experienced) but once it starts to warm up, it's much easier to spread. I'm sorry you had a not great experience, maybe warming the frosting in the microwave for a couple of seconds beforehand would help?

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    2. add a little more milk to thin it

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  56. I want to make this terribly but I don't have any sour cream; I have EVERYTHING else! Can I still make them without the sour cream???

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    1. Eek, I would say no! You'd be losing alot of the liquid and fat...I've included a link to website I reference quite a bit for substitutions and it looks like you could have substituted yogurt and possibly a few other options. Let me know what you did!

      http://www.joyofbaking.com/IngredientSubstitution.html

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    2. I have substituted cream cheese for sour cream in a pinch. Mix the baking soda in to the cream cheese to soften it & make it fluffy & easier to mix in.

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    3. I usually like to use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It works perfectly and makes the recipe ever-so-slightly healthier. Either way, this recipe is a winner! :)

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  57. Just made mine today, FABULOUS, I had the same problem with the frosting though, it was very thick and did not spread on at all, and I did it within 15 minutes of it coming out of the oven, I also checked my measurements and don't know where I went wrong. I was trying to be careful with the butter, maybe I didn't cook it long enough??? Any suggestions??

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    1. Hmm, the only thing I could suggest is maybe popping the frosting in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up. It looks like a couple people had the same problem, so I'm still trying to figure it out :/

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    2. Oo, I just read the comment below yours and it looks like she added a bite more milk. I'd suggest that!!

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    3. My frosting spread wonderfully, Jess! I made the frosting right after I pulled the bars out of the oven. And then, I immediately spread the warm frosting on the bars. Worked like a charm! :)

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  58. I just made this tonight for tomorrow night's dessert! For those of you that had a hard time spreading the icing because of it being too thick...don't use all of the sugar called for! I only used about 2-1/2 C. of the powdered sugar. I had a little cream I needed to use up, so I put that in and used my electric hand mixer. Added a couple more dashes of milk and the spreading consistency was perfect! I never, ever use the amount of powdered sugar called for in icing recipes as most people can't handle an icing that is too sweet. To me, an icing that is made with butter, should taste like butter, not sugar!
    Anyway, I'm really excited to try this cake, but have to wait til tomorrow. Of course, I did taste the icing as I was making it...to die for!

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    1. Great idea. I did have a challenge with the frosting. I'll try what you did. Thanks!

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    2. I made these wonderful Banana Bread bars with the burned sugar frosting. They are absolutely delicious!!! I shared with the pharmacists at My CVS Pharmacy, my hairdresser, and my friends. I must admit (& being a diabetic) I ate 4 of them before I could get them out of the house! Have bought more bananas and just waiting for them to turn black! Thans Pinterest (that's where I found the recipe initially) & Moxie.

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  59. My son is allergic to dairy, eggs and nuts but I really wanted to make these...so I used a few substitutions and they were awesome!!!! Thank you! I substituted tofutti cream cheese for the sour cream (only b/c i didn't have any tofutti sour cream) and then i used a mix of applesauce and vegetable oil for the eggs, i left out the nuts and then i used rice milk for the frosting. They were so yummy! Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Can you tell us the measurements for the applesauce and oil? My son is also allergic to eggs and I would still really like to try this recipe. Thanks!

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  60. Oh my goodness...these are so delicious! The frosting is to die for. I almost didn't have any for the bars...:). Thank you for posting such an amazing recipe.

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  61. My icing was thick, should I add more milk next time?..

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  62. These are SO GOOD! I just made them today for a lazy Sunday treat. Everything about them is delicious. I did add a couple dashes of cinnamon to the frosting, but I could definitely still taste the unique flavor of the browned butter. Thanks for the recipe!

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  63. Holy smokes. Just made these and WOW!!! Subbed out plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream, but thanks
    For the recipe!!!!

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  64. loved the banana bars, but wasn't crazy about the frosting - i burnt it the first time and the second time it just didn't taste right to me. i probably did something wrong. definately will make again, but will use a different frosting or try to figure out what i did wrong - thanks for a great recipe

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  65. I just made these but used the wrong size pan so they came out a little too thin. So I split the pan of bars, frosted half and layered the other half on top!! Tastes great!

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  66. Made these and they were DELICIOUS! Had to share with neighbors or we could have eaten the whole pan! One question though... once the butter is boiling, how long do you let it boil before the "change" happens when it turns a darker brown? I was afraid of burning it, so I'm not sure if I waited long enough. The frosting still tasted great though! :)

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  67. Okay,I failed on the frosting. I never made my own frosting or browned butter. I assumed the butter and everything had to mixed in a different bowl,so it became dough like LOL. still tastes good though. I'll just use it as edible playdoh for my son. LBVS

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  68. I just poured the frosting on and it came out amaziiiiing, can not wait to try these, thank you so much, the best recipe!

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  69. I just frosted mine and I'm lucky any frosting got on the bars. Oh browned butter, where have you been??? I'm so glad to have found it. Although my skirts are not... hmmm... can't wait to cut into these - thanks!!

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  70. These are awesome!! I took them to work and they devoured them! Easy to take along without alot of mess! Thank you so much for sharing!!

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  71. Wow. This is freakin' fantastic. The buttery goodness of the cake comes out with the brown butter frosting. I accidentally made my frosting a bit think, and it tastes like the French-Canadian fudge "sucre a la creme

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  72. Super yummy. I made it last night. To dangerous to leave in the house. I could eat it all....lol...

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  73. It was fantastic! I think the milk should be 3 Tablespoons of milk instead of 3 teaspoons.

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  74. I made these today for my family and I have to say, they are probably the finest tasting bar EVER! So glad to have found your site and tried this recipe. It is amazing! Thank you!
    I am going to try to freeze some and see how that goes......will let you know!

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  75. I just have to say OH MY GOODNESS! Just made these for my church life group, and while I haven't tried the bars yet, I did taste some of the frosting and GOOD GRAVY that is AMAZING!

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  76. Just found these on Pinterest. I love to bake, and these are going on my list of 'to-do'...soon. These look so good!

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  77. My husband just made these and I can't wait to try them!! He did make the comment... "no offense babe but making these might of been kinda hard for you" ppfffftttt what does he know just because I can't bake cookies lol��

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  78. I'm very excited to make these and EAT THEM!! I consider myself a beginner in the cooking realm so wish me luck. I got the recipe off pintrest yum! If I don't have a jelly roll pan what would be a good substitute??

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  79. I used a 9 x 13 and still used about 20 minutes to bake fully. ALSO, I used 1/2 c of applesauce in the batter in place of the butter. They were delicious!!! Also, the frosting was almost too much, and I LOOOVE frosting. So for someone who wants sweet, but not to wreck your diet, I'd halve the frosting recipe and use the applesauce in the cake. SAVING 12 T/ 1200 cals of butter!

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  80. For those whose frosting was too thick, just add more milk to thin it out.

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  81. Silly question but I'm assuming we're talking using real butter and not country crock??

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  82. OMGoodness- Heavenly combo- Luckily i've got many kids to help me eat this!- Delish! Will make again!

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  83. Made these tonight and they were delicious! Definitely a keeper recipe. I also, had to add a little more milk to frosting to make it spreadable. Quick and easy also. Mm Mm Good!

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  84. Best ever! Be sure to use a jellybpan, or increase your time! I have made these 4 times now and they are ALWAYS a hit!

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  85. Making tonight they smell awesome

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  86. Why, oh why, did I make you... you evil Banana Bars with Brown Butter Frosting?! These are most definately the most delicious and addicting thing that I have ever made....seriously! Thanks, for the recipe...I guess! ; )

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    Replies
    1. Ugh I tried twice today and both times not sure what the heck happened!! Arrgghh

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  87. Just made these for the first time and my 3yr old was drooling the whole time while i was frosting them...then promptly wolfed 2 down...I do have a question though...I noticed that this recipe is very similar to a normal recipe for banana bread (my recipe is my great grandmothers and calls for shortening)..Is the recipe you use for banana bread loaves as well?? If so i will happily swap the shortening for the sour cream!! Thank you for sharing this recipe..having 5 kids in the house this is the first recipe i have come across in a long time that i did not have to double!!

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  88. I just got done making these... they smell heavenly. can not wait to eat them.. i did have trouble with the frosting being way to thick .. i thinned it down with more milk, still could not reach the consistency it should be... I dont know what i did wrong ??? I'm sure the taste will still be there though. They look so yummy !

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  89. OMG! I found these on pinterest and LOVE THEM! I have made them 3 times and even entered them in our county fair and won a blue ribbon! I shared the recipe on my blog, nalomakitchen.blogspot.com and linked up to you. Thank you so much!

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  90. WAY TOO MUCH POWDERED SUGAR- 2 cups at most!!!

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  91. I made and blogged about your recipe today. Of course, they didn't turn out looking the same as yours, but they were still delicious!
    Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
    http://grammasinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/banana-bread-bars-wbrown-butter-frosting.html

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  92. My husband is a banana bread freak, I had a bunch of bananas I planned on trashing but came across this recipe and all I can say is I LOVE YOU! This recipe is perfect... I doubled the recipe so that he can take one to work and I prayed for it to taste as good as it looked and well, it's way better than I expected! Thanks for sharing your recipe, great for the fall with a cup of coffee or tea :)
    Xoxoxox Dolly.

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  93. These are SO good! Thanks for sharing!

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  94. I found this recipe post & thought it looked absolutely delicious. Well, I made it & it is Amazing! So amazing that I decided to pin it & post it on my blog as well. Thanks for sharing the recipe! Here is the link to my post if you are interested: http://www.wonkywonderful.com/1/post/2012/09/banana-bread-cake-brown-butter-frosting.html
    Have a wonderful weekend :)

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  95. I made mine in a 9x13 pan. Baked for 35 to 45 mins. The frosting was to sweet for my family, so the 2 time I added min chocolate chips and no frosting. Turned out perfect!

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  96. Does it need to be refrigerated after?

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  97. Does it need to be refrigerated after?

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    1. From my experience, no. These should be fine but I would make sure to store them in an airtight container, plastic wrap, etc. so the bar part doesn't get stale.

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  98. I tried twice today. And for the life of me I cannot figure out what I did Wrong. Not happy at all. The second one looks like rising a little more. I hope it turns out. I am a great baker and cook extremely well. I'm quite disappointed. Especially cause everyone could do it!!! Not sure what else to do!!!

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    1. I can sympathize.....I also bake often and am slightly disappointed. Not that they aren't good, but mine came out just like cake or regular banana bread. Not sure if its b/c I had to use a 9x13 or b/c I substituted greek yogurt for sour cream, but I was hoping they would be denser or something like the picture.
      I tweaked the frosting just a tad by using 1c brown sugar & 1.5c powdered sugar, 1/4c milk...in addition to the butter. No vanilla, but I like the idea someone else had about the rum extract:-) Either way it was delicious.

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  99. I've made this alot ! Frosting is very sweet indeed so I only drizzle it randomly over bread/brownies or I just dust with powdered sugar very good and a favorite ! We like ours still warm YUMMO

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  100. I will never make traditional banana nut bread again! I just made these bars and they were absolutely wonderful! The frosting was a great compliment. I look forward to making these for the holidays! Thanks for sharing your recipe! Tina Martin

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  101. Oh my....I bake often, but these are my new favorite. I will definitely be making these again! Thanks for opening my eyes to brown butter frosting.

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  102. Made these to the recipe exact and they came out well. Yes, frosting is thick, if you need to thin add a little milk or use less powdered sugar. Make sure you put it one when you take the bars out of the oven. The heat helps it spread and it soaks in a little...YUM! When browning the butter it turns brown VERY quickly, so you need to watch it the entire time while boiling. I used a Pampered Chef Bar pan and it was the perfect size for this recipe. Thanks!

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  103. This must be heaven! Thanks for sharing!

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  104. Ok, so first let me just say YUM! I made it and enjoyed every bite, BUT mine was just like cake- not dense at all...
    I reviewed the steps again and didn't mistake any measurements at all. :(
    Also, the batter nearly spilled over my 10x15 jelly roll pan. I'm not sure if maybe a traditional baking pan (for brownies for example) was what should've been used.
    I have to admit, I was skeptical about the jelly roll pan, since the "bars" look so dense and thick in the picture, but I trusted the directions since I don't do a lot of "sweets" baking....
    Just my observations, but still they were delicious and I had no trouble at all with my icing, and I used all the ingredients to the exact measurement. I think with the icing, timing is key. It doesn't take long to prepare and once the other ingredients are added to the butter in the sauce pan (off the hot eye) the bars should be ready to come out of the oven.

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    Replies
    1. Mine were just cake-like too....I was hoping more brownie-like :(

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  105. Wow these were so awesome! My son has been. Requesting them for days now since theotherbatch dissapeared! The icing was fantastic, I created more of a pourable glaze by only adding sugar to taste and a bit more milk. I'm so happy yo have such an awesome go to banana recipe, much better than the standard old dry loaf!

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  106. Do you use salted or unsalted butter?

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  107. My husband could not stop eating these! They are incredibly moist and just scrumptious! Doesn't help that he is diabetic! Serious overload!

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  108. these are SOOOOO freakin amazing. i consider myself a good cook but i just recently started baking more. i had majorly messed up my first banana bread attempt but was determined to try something new. i was nervous after reading some reviews where people had trouble with these bars but i followed the directions to a T and they came out perfect!!! i didn't measure the milk for the frosting though, just added it a little at a time until i liked the consistency (smooth thickish glaze) and poured over bars while they were still warm and it smoothed on perfectly. they are so moist and yummy! i have a very happy hubbie tonight :)

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  109. O M G !!!! I have been baking for YEARS and have never come across such an amazing recipe!! I just made these and was absolutely blown away by how delicious these are!! These will be a family favorite for years to come!! THANK YOU for sharing the recipe.

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    Replies
    1. BTW, I used a lasagna pan for my recipe

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  110. Oh My Goodness!! These look divine! I just followed a picture from pintrest and I'm so glad I did! I am really enjoying your blog!! I am making these for my co-worker who went gaga over the photos (like I didn't, hee hee)

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  111. Just made these today. I followed the exact recipe, and wow! They are just incredible! It is for sure my new first choice recipe from now on! Great job!

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  112. These are dangerous to have sitting around at my house!! They turned out so delicious! We ate them warm out of the oven! The frosting was a hit!! Good thing I have a church yard sale to go to in the morning, I'm taking them with me to get eaten up! I'd be in trouble at my next OB appt. if I didn't!

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  113. Would it be possible to use margarine instead of real butter? I am out and don't have enough for the frosting!

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    1. I've never done that before but I researched a bit and it looks like you should be fine. The taste may be a bit different but from what I read, it didn't seem like it would make too much of a difference. I'd love to know how it turns out!

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  114. I made this strictly according to the recipe and they came out so dense they were more like a thick custard. It was cake-like and done when taken out of the oven. It appeared beautiful and perfect. Within 2 hrs something went horribly wrong and it went straight in the trash after tasting it. Any ideas?

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  115. Turned out wonderful! Loved the brown butter glaze.

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  116. loved this! substituted dark chocolate chips for walnuts. yum.

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  117. I made these today and they are AWESOME !! I too loved SaraLee Banana cake growing up in fact it was my choice for my birthday cake every year. This cake IS just as good if not better than SaraLee !! Thank you so much for posting this recipe !!

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  118. These are wonderful. I used a 9 x 13 pan and cooked them for 30 minutes. I only made half the icing and it was plenty. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.

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  119. Made these today......AMAZING!!!! And that brown butter frosting is sinful.....my family devoured it....thanx for sharing.

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  120. So happy to find this recipe on Pinterest, it seriously looks fantastic!!! I am a banana and a brown butter freak:-) YUM, Take care, Terra

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  121. Oh dear...we're in trouble now! This recipe is fantastic. I ran out of vanilla extract and so I tried half the measure of rum extract in the frosting and dare I say AMAZING! My family and friends are either gonna love or hate me (maybe a blend of the two) Thanks for sharing the recipe!
    Barb in BC Canada

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  122. Can these be mixed by hand, or did you use a mixer?

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  123. Ok, so I made these tonight and my husband just came down from his office and said "that smell came right upstairs and is making me hungry". I used a 9x13 glass pan and baked them 7 min longer. The frosting did seem thick but I put spoonfuls all over the cake when it came out of the oven and let the warmth soften it. It spread easily with a spatula...I just took it easy. The cake itself turned a nice light brown and looks really good. I can't wait to try them!

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  124. My mom has been making these for years. When she makes them the whole pan is gone by the end of the night! My brother use to cut giant slices and chow down. I'll have to try and make these sometime. :)

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  125. Just made them. I think they are awesome but my hubs says he thinks the taste of browned butter is weird to him. Oh we'll. also...I wish have read above where many people said don't use all the powdered sugar since the frosting will be too thick if you do. I just added more milk to thin it out and it worked!

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  126. Our New Favorite Cake: I have made this 3 times in the last month! I go exactly by the recipe and it turns out perfectly! I do have to make half with nuts and half without to satisfy everyone! Thanks for sharing!

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  127. Hello! If you happen to see this comment, I am curious if the amount of banana is 1 3/4 cups, equal to 3 or 4 bananas? Thank you! I can't wait to try these, when I make banana bread it never cooks in the middle! Hope to hear form you and thanks!
    Dawn

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    1. It depends on how large your bananas are, but I used between 3 and 4 ripe bananas when I made the recipe. Hope that helps and I'd love to hear if you try these out!

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  128. I just made these and they are amazing!!!!! My first attempt at the frosting totally flopped. It was so thick I couldn't even stir it, let alone attempt to spread it on a soft and spongey surface. I'm wondering if it has to do with altitude? I'm at a higher altitude and wonder if some of those who are having problems are also?

    I tasted a little bit of the frosting dough I had created and decided it was much too sweet for my taste anyhow (which I probably should have known since I don't like the intense sweetness of powdered sugar frostings). I decided to try again and this time I added an extra tablespoon of milk and just added powdered sugar until it was the consistency and taste that I wanted. I probably used about 2 cups and it was much more like a glaze. I poured it over the top, spread it around a bit and let it cool. The topping ended up being just a thin layer and PERFECT for my taste!! I'm definitely going to have to take these around to the neighbors so I don't eat them all. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!!!

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  129. Just made these - SOOO good. I'm not a huge fan of the frosting... a little too sweet for me. I think I'll try the cream cheese frosting from your pumpkin bars (which are also super super delicious) next time!

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  130. I made these and they are awesome. My question is did you use real butter and what can I do to make sure the icing is soft all the time after spread on?

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    1. Yes, I always use real butter. I'm not opposed to using other types of butter but I don't have any experience with them so I can't speak to it.

      To make the frosting spreadable, you can always add a touch more milk. Give the frosting a stir or two and you should be able to tell if it's too thick. Also be sure to get the frosting on the bars right out of the oven, because the heat will soften the frosting quite a bit.

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  131. Forgive he naive question, but do you wait for the butter to cool before adding the other ingredients when making the frosting?

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    Replies
    1. I think that's a great question actually! The butter does not need to be completely cooled before you use it, maybe give it a couple of minutes to cool but otherwise you should be just fine.

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  132. Do you think the recipe would work with a 12x17 pan?

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  133. Can you freeze these? They were delious by the way!

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  134. I dont have sour cream!! :( :( is there a substitute for it??

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  135. When you say 'blend in' the ingredients, does that mean I should use the mixer or just a spatula?

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  136. A friend made these last night for a get together. Ridiculously good. I couldn't stop eating it. I'm thinking about making it for a catered party tonight...you know the kind where you aren't supposed to bring food!!! lol. These are too good not to share!!

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  137. Outstanding! I made these with reduced fat sour cream and omitted the frosting. I also added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips - it's the moistest banana bar I have EVER had!

    Posting photos tomorrow on http://dittyandsugar.blogspot.com/

    xo,

    Ashley

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  138. These are PHENOMENAL! They are easy and relatively quick to make, too. They are not, however, diet friendly! Oh well, they are soooooooo worth the splurge. I am in love!! (Btw, never commented on a recipe I've tried from a blog before, and I've tried many - these were just too good not to comment!) Thank you for sharing this recipe!

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  139. Just made these, OMG, cannot wait to try! Do I have to let them cool? lol

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    1. Okay, finally tasted them and..... I am IN LOVE!!!!! And so are my kids and husband!! Thanks so much for the recipe!

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  140. omg!!! made these today for the 1st time...I think I'm in love!!! and the brown butter almost got me, but thank goodness I was paying attention! I posted this recipe on my FB page and I think there will be a bunch of these made in the next week :)

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  141. My family loves this recipe!

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  142. Can these be made in a loaf pan? Need to know asap. Thanks!

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  143. As wonderful as these may be, they're not brownies which are defined as "rich, flat chocolate cake." I have as a project to find the world's best brownie recipe. This had enough goood reviews that I was tempted to see it, but was disappointed to find out there was no chocolate listed. They should be named cake or bars, but not brownies.

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  144. best banana cake ever! so unbelievably moist! I used fat free sour cream and it worked just fine! next time I will use less sugar, I used some brown sugar in place of regular sugar . the brown butter frosting is the key ingredient in this recipe. to dye for! thank u thank u for this recipie! :-)

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  145. Just tried this recipe...it's AMAZING! :)

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  147. I made these and they are fantastic! I was pondering new recipes for days and this was was IT! I will definitely be sharing these all over Montana! :)

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  148. I can't stop eating these. I am a total hero in our house tonight!

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  149. O. M. G. These are the best thing I've ever eaten! I love banana breads but have never found a recipe that wasn't dense and heavy, and raw in the middle (I admit, I'm cooking and baking challenged!). This is the only way I'll make it now! I don't have a jelly pan, so mine is more like a cake, and awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!!!

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  150. ugghhh im not a great baker.... but my forsting did not turn out at all... i dont know what i did wrong;(

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  151. These were absolutely delicious, thank you so much for the recipe!

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  152. seriously dangerous recipe. so good. now i'm am wondering why i've never heard of brown butter till today! thanks!

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  153. just made theses they are awesome. when the butter turned brown it was very cool

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  154. My favorite part of banana bread is the middle slice, at the top...always my "last bite". I REALLY need to watch my sugar, but have quite a sweet tooth, so I decided to compromise and make the banana brownie without the frosting (I know I'm missing out, based on comments, but no doubt I would be addicted.) This was like having an entire pan of the best "last bite"!! YUM!

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  155. These were okay, more like a banana cake than brownies. Just as glad I opted not to do the frosting.

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  156. Stellar! Perfection! I was a little concerned at first because when mixing the butter, sour cream and eggs the recipe says "...until creamy." Well, it never got creamy but stayed rather 'liquidy.' No matter, apparently. I baked for 20 minutes and it was golden. We like our baked goods slightly on the doughy side in our family so next time I will take it out about 3 minutes earlier. Will be making again (and again!), perhaps with chocolate chips. I was really nervous that I would screw up the browned butter... which I'd never made before. It took longer than I thought... and I hovered over it like a witch at her cauldron. Just when I thought I'd blown it, I started seeing circles or orangey-brown bubbling up, and voila!

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  157. This looks AMAZING. I already know that I HAVE to make this. :)

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  158. Just made these, and they truly were delicious! I LOVED the strong banana flavor, yet how these were totally different from banana bread or cake. They're actually bars! So soft, yet dense and substantial. Plush, yet with a nice chew. Perfect!

    http://thekitchenkook.blogspot.com/2013/01/moist-banana-bars-with-brown-butter.html

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  159. OMG these are delicious! Just made them exactly according to the recipe and they came out perfect! Very moist. The only thing I would do different next time is put a thinner layer of frosting on, maybe use about half, because it is very sweet. Delicious though, thanks for the recipe!

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  160. Can I use a glass pyrex dish instead of a jelly roll pan? I have all the ingredients except for the pan! Help!

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  161. Ok, this was heavenly, I loved every bite! I found you on pinterest, and reviewed this lovely recipe on my blog, I hope you will take a look!

    Carlee
    http://www.ladybirdln.com/2013/01/on-pinterest-scale-banana-bars-with.html

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  162. Jennifer Mavor2/01/2013 12:13 PM

    AMAZING! I have made these twice now- once for a dessert with a meal I was taking someone at church, and this morning for a bake sale our FRG was having! SO GOOD! I won't be able to make these unless I have someplace to take them, otherwise our diets will go to crap! LOL Thanks!

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  163. My bars came out perfectly - the frosting.. not so much. I followed the recipe exactly & it was thick & lumpy (definitely not frosting-like) I added extra milk as everyone suggested to thin it a big, AWFUL. I ended up dumping the frosting and just sprinkling with powdered sugar. There has to be some sort of an issue that everyone is having the same problem. I want it to work so badly. :(

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