How to Make Black-Bottom Banana Bars

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By coachniquenya
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Make Black-Bottom Banana Bars

I seem to always be buying bananas with the intention to make smoothies with them or chop them up in my cereal. The problem is that I have so little time during my days that I usually forget about the bananas and go for something that seems a little quicker (i.e. the cereal without the banana or no breakfast at all).

What's worse is that my kids claim that they don't even like bananas. This means that perfectly good bananas lay in the fruit basket getting overripe and turning brown. By the time I get around to even thinking about using them, they are either ripened to a black mush or surrounded by an entourage of fruit flies making them seem less than appetizing.

I have found a solution to the rotting banana fiasco which also seems to thrill my little ones' tummies. This simple recipe calls for extra-ripe bananas (the mushier the better) and a healthy dose of cocoa!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

1 stick butter or margarine (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 egg (room temperature)
3 medium-sized ripened bananas
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup baking cocoa

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 13"x9" baking pan and set aside.
Step 2

Cream butter (or margarine) and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Step 3

Beat in egg and vanilla flavoring.
Step 4

In a small bowl, mash the bananas then add the mashed bananas to the butter mixture and mix well.
Step 5

Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a measuring cup. Gradually sift the flour mixture into the mixing bowl, stirring in between each 1/2 cup addition.

Note: Here I used 1 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. You will see other recipes that call for 1 teaspoon baking soda plus 1 teaspoon baking powder. I used cream of tartar because I was out of baking powder.

1 tsp baking powder = 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar.

You may substitute as needed and still retain the desired consistency.
Step 6

Divide the batter in half. Mix in the cocoa in one half of the batter.
Step 7

Pour cocoa batter into the baking pan, coating the bottom evenly. Spoon the remaining batter over the top and swirl with a spatula.
Step 8

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into squares and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.