Banana Blondies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache.
I’m making dreams come true in bar form.
Not the tequila type of bar, but the sugared-up type of bar.
Maybe we can do both? We should.
Together.
Banana blondies baffled me a bit. You know how when you add banana to anything – it tends to turn out fluffy and cakelike? Sort of like adding pumpkin to your favorite baked good?
Well.
I was adamant on making banana blondies that weren’t cake bars.
Here’s how I did it: the egg yolks and the brown sugar keep the bars a bit chewier. I only used two bananas so the cake texture didn’t take over the dessert. The result was a very slight cakey blondie, if you will. These aren’t super chewy like traditional blondies, however, they aren’t as cakey as these banana bread snack squares. They are the perfect blend of chewy and cakey bar. I’d say they lean more towards chewy.
And then.
THEN!
The ganache. Chocolate peanut butter, to be exact. In case the title didn’t convey it. It’s simply a mish mash of some of my favorite things. Favorite thing number one: bananas with peanut butter. That’s been a go-to snack of mine since I was a kid. Favorite thing number two: chocolate with peanut butter. If you don’t like chocolate and peanut butter together, I don’t even know where to begin.
Eddie doesn’t really *get* the heavenly combination and neither does my dad. Which makes exactly zero sense to me.
Give me a jar of peanut butter, a bar of high-quality chocolate and a spoon as my weapon. Destruction will occur.
The only thing as fabulous as those two combos is combining them together once more. Banana. Chocolate. Peanut butter.
And maybe bacon. I won’t even go there. (in public.)
Banana Blondies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache
Ingredients
- 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
chocolate peanut butter ganache
- 6 ounces milk, dark or semi-sweet (your choice) chocolate, chopped
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8×8-inch with nonstick spray, layer it with parchment paper and give it another spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and egg yolks until smooth. Slowly stream in the butter while whisking until combined. Stir in the mashed bananas. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring until a thicker batter comes together. Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bars seem set in the center and are golden in color. Remove and let cool slightly.
chocolate peanut butter ganache
- Add the chocolate and peanut butter to a large bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it is hot but not boiling – just until bubbles form on the sides of the pan. Remove it from the heat and pour it over the chocolate and peanut butter. Allow it to sit for 1 to 2 minutes, then stir continuously until a ganache forms – this may take a full 5 minutes but keep stirring! Allow the ganache to cool for a few minutes before pouring it over the bars or serving it with a spoon.
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I appreciate you so much!
pretty sure these should be your weekend plans.
87 Comments on “Banana Blondies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache.”
This. Is. My. Dreams. Come True.
I am also in “give me a jar of pb and some good chocolate and I’m a happy girl” camp.So, this is riiiight up my alley.
Pinned.
Still drooling over that ganache.
Wooooooah. These look ridiculously amazing. That ganache….. I would have licked the bowl clean!
These look amazing! I love the banana/peanut butter/chocolate combination
ooooooh you are evil!!!! i’ve been hard core on my clean eating this week and now I want to go bury my face in a pan of these… grrrrr… i’m sure they’ll be made this weekend and then I’ll cry as I give them away at work…
Can we talk about how brilliant it is that you cut the squares before you coat them with that heavenly ganache for maximum drippage?!
So smart.
There is officially no better way to start a Friday! Chocolate + pb ganache….oh my! Love it!
Girl, that looks so yummy!
Ugh, that ganache. Kill me now. My dad despises PB too! I think it’s a British thing! They just don’t get it.
Man, melty ganache gets me EVERY TIME….
Nothing can compare to this icing, ganache is seriously the best thing to hit blondies since, well, ever!
Love you photos of that shiny topping, mouthwatering!
Drooling. Is PB and banana a girl thing? My hubby doesn’t like it either, but I”m obsessed. Also that photo with the cascading chocolate ganache –> dying!
That ganache! OMG. My husband would flip over the PB-choco combo. He doesn’t love banana baked goods, though. Crazy, right? No worries. I’ll make this for myself and happily eat the whole pan. Happy Friday!
I will have to give these a try as they look yummy. I struggle with the texture when adding pumpkin or banana to traditional recipes. I love your Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie recipe because it retains a certain chewiness and crunch.
Have you seen the Stonewall Kitchen Banana Chocolate Jam? I think it is a fairly new product. A friend of mine gifted me a jar. If you like the combination of those two flavors, you might like this product. It has a bit of a tang to it and is not overly sweet but it is delicious.
PB, Chocolate and Banana are a holy trinity. And should you choose to add bacon? I’ll call it a fearless foursome :)
They look incredible! And yes about fluffy and cakelike anytime you add bananas (or pumpkin!) so true…don’t I know; oh boy :) And there is nothing better than bananas + choc/PB! Love that combo so much! These look like winners! Way to achieve a denser texture, mmm, just how I love my blondies! pinned
I love how you worked a banana blondie into the classic peanut butter + chocolate combo! I can only imagine how much the banana adds to this. Looks delicious!
There is not a better combo than PB and bananas. That ganache is killing me!
Oh yeah these are so on the weekend to do list! Yummmm
Oh man, I think these should be my everyday plans! I love this!
Completely off topic, but did you see they’re going to make a Jem movie?!?
LOVE LOVE LOVE. These are awesome, and I miss you!
Chewy, cakey, whatever. Just give this to me NOW!
I’ll probably start dreaming about this bars now that I have seen them!
Food porn at it’s best. Who doesn’t like banana with peanut butter or chocolate and peanut butter? I can’t even fathom that!
Ok I’m gonna trust you on this one because making a chewy-type banana cake sounds heavenly and I mostly assumed it wasn’t possible. Also, I just wanna pour that ganache on errrrrthing.
I’m so hooked on banana things lately! These look sinfully delicious.
Um, yes, these should definitely be my weekend plans. These look fantastic! Love the flavor combos and that ganache. THAT ganache.
Can’t wait to try these. Um, chocolate plus peanut butter? No words.The best combo. Ever.
Pretty sure I just food-gasmed at my desk. Also, I was just diagnosed with Celiac’s (and yes I still am obsessed with your blog). Would you recommend almond flour or coconut flour for this?
Anyone? Bueller?
OMG!! I want to devour all of those! They look SOOOOOOO good!!
This is awesome becuase I made this the other night, but never thought of the awesome ganache! You make fantastic stuff as always! @ Hally, I am going to try this with almond flour as well and will let you know what comes of it, I use it a lot in my baking. Happy Friday Everyone!
My husband doesn’t love the peanut butter and chocolate thing either, unless it’s a Reese’s…I don’t get him! But, I get this. I have been on a peanut butter binge these past few months with no end in sight. And, can I say…I’m glad these bars have a slight cakiness to them. I’m into it.
So… since there’s banana in it… does that mean it’s a breakfast food? I think so. BREAKFAST FOR EVERYONE!
I soooooooooooooooooo want these RIGHT NOW. Banana makes them acceptable for breakfast, I’m pretty sure.
dont see where to add the vanilla but these look yum!!! that ganache!!
Bacon?!?!?! What a fab idea- add candied bacon to the top! yum
Omg I so wanted a chocolate-peanut-butter-banana protein shake for breakfast this morning but I’m out of bananas! So instead I made a vanilla-cherry-peach protein shake and it was… bleh. Only alright. It wasn’t what I wanted. And now I want these.
Not healthy.
Oh my, these look absolutely heavenly! I love that it only takes two bananas, I never seem to have enough leftover for banana bread (and who can resist chocolate peanut butter ganache?).
I saw these banana blondies and my head exploded.! Do you have any tips for making this recipe in a 9 by 13 pan?
Omg these are def my weekend plans….. I’m salivating. All of my favorite things combined (Chocolate, PB, + banana) how did you know !?!?!??! I just made a smoothie with those exact ingredients buttttt i think blondies are better…
Weekend necessity for sure!
Ay ay ay! These blondies! Am I dreaming?
This looks sooo good!! Nothing better than bananas and peanut butter!
Having a baby shower for my sister this weekend and I think I have to add this to my list of desserts…sounds perfect for her! Would it be ok to make the bars ahead and then top with ganache before serving? Or do the bars need to be warm? thanks in advance!
These look divine! If I wasn’t going out of town, I’d definitely be making them! These will be my next weekend plans!
this just sounds ridiculously good.
xo, cheyenne
These look sooooo good! Love that ganache especially.
YES!!! Chocolate and peanut butter AND banana! Probably my favorite flavor combo ever!
If one of your goals is to spread a little joy to your readers with some deliciousness everyday, then you are certainly accomplishing it! These bars look incredible – so moist and I love that it offers chewiness. Needless to say, chocolate & PB and ganache all in one sentence is a dream. These are really dreamy! ; )
The chocolate peanut butter ganache puts this one over the top for me – as in better than a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10!