Thursday, January 31, 2013

Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting

I am playing catch-up.  I actually made these about two weeks ago.  Don't worry, they are so good that they are worth the wait!

Our friends Kevin and Ashley had us over for a seafood dinner.  I made a crab and corn chowder, and Ashley made shrimp and crab cakes.  Probably the best crab cakes that I have ever tasted, and who knew I liked shrimp??  Turns out that I am a huge fan of her grilled bbq shrimp!  Side note: I need to get that recipe.

I wanted to whip up something for dessert but didn't have a lot of time.  I looked over this recipe and it looked pretty simple, so I went with it.  Oh my goodness these things are good!  When I saw that these had brown butter icing I knew they would be delicious!  I love the flavor of brown butter.  I made a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brown Butter Cupcake a while back and they were one of the most popular cupcake that I have made.  Check them out here: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brown Butter Cupcakes 
When I saw that these bars were frosted with brown butter icing I knew they were a must try!

These things didn't last long in my house. Don't judge.

Adapted from lifessimplemeasures.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. softened butter
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. (3-4) mashed ripe bananas
2 tsp vanilla
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Brown Butter Frosting:
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
4 c. confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp milk

Directions for bars:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Grease 13X9 in. baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter and eggs.  Blend in eggs and bananas.
4. Add the dry ingredients and then the walnuts (optional).
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Directions for Icing:
1. In a medium sauce pan, heat butter over medium heat until boiling.  After butter turns light brown remove it from the heat.
2.  Add confectioners sugar, vanilla, and milk, and whisk until icing is smooth.
3. It is easier to spread the icing over the bars while they are still warm.  (I stuck mine back in the hot oven for just a minute to give the icing an opportunity to spread.)
4. ENJOY!