Monkey Bars
Monkey Bars are a great, new-to-me, way to use up overripe bananas. These simple little banana bars are perfect for lunch boxes, coffee hour, and even bake sales! They come together quickly, use extra bananas and taste like a little banana cake with bits of chocolate.
Banana Bars
I buy a lot of bananas to keep our banana eater happy. We only have one dedicated banana eater so sometimes they get overripe. These banana bars are the perfect way to use them up.
When I have too many bananas I usually end up freezing them for baking things like my fave Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Streusel and my famous Banana Cake Roll . If you’re looking for something ELSE to do with bananas these little banana cake bars are it!
Monkey Bars Everywhere
I was reading something, somewhere, I’m not even sure where or I’d totally give credit where credit is due, about making Monkey Bars. I was confused at first, how would you pop in the kitchen and make a piece of playground equipment?
Then I caught on—oh yes, some tasty little cake bars with overripe bananas? Yes, yes, tell me more! There seems to be a plethora of uncomplicated recipes for Monkey Bars out there. I browsed them—a lot of them—it’s what I do—and noticed most of the ingredients were just pantry staples, with the exception of mini chocolate chips.
I happened to HAVE mini chocolate chips on hand and overripe bananas, too, so I mean, really, I was meant to make these, right? It’s all connected; I read about them+had overripe bananas+read up on them+possessed all the ingredients=MUST MAKE STRAIGHT AWAY.
What you need to make the banana bars
Like I said these are mostly pantry staples. And if you freeze overripe bananas, then you’ve probably got them on hand as well. You could probably swap out the mini chocolate chips for regular chocolate chips.
- butter
- sugar
- brown sugar
- egg
- overripe bananas, mashed
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- mini chocolate chips
Bake Sale Worthy
These would be a brilliant addition to any bake sale you plan. They’re original, the recipe makes a nice amount to sell, and they’re somewhere between a banana cake and a banana bar. They’re also easily wrapped. Bake sale win right there, folks.
Monkey Bars
Equipment
- 10×15 inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3-4 bananas mashed, overripe
- 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch cinnamon
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips separated
Instructions
- preheat oven to 350˚
- grease a 15x10x1 baking sheet, set aside
- whip the butter with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy, scrape the bowl down few times if using a stand mixer
- beat in the sugars
- add the egg and beat well
- mix in the mashed bananas and vanilla paste or extract
- in a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon
- stir the flour mix into the butter banana mixture
- mix until completely incorporated
- set aside two spoonfuls of mini chocolate chips then stir in the remaining chocolate chips
- spread in the greased 15x10x1 baking sheet
- sprinkle with the remaining mini chocolate chips
- bake in 350˚ for 25-28 minutes or untit the bars are puffy and baked through
Nutrition
- Nutella Stuffed Cookies
- Santa Meringues
- Edible Bloody Band-Aids
- Boston Cream Pie Cookie Cups
- Nutter Butter Halloween Cookies
- Watermelon Sugar Cookies
- Strawberry Crunch Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossom Bars
Would you mind pinning this recipe?!? Thanks so much!
Hi Laura, just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/
These look yummy! Thanks for sharing on the Homesteader's Blog Hop! (I'll have to join you on that bike ride!)
Yummo, I have been making lots of banana muffins with pineapple lately but I like the bar idea, lots of "crust" which is my favorite part. I will have to try this! Cheers
Oh Laura my kids are banana fanatics and would LOVE these! Pinning to try!
Monkey Bars!! Hehehe so fun and yummy! Pinned 🙂
These totally have me making monkey sounds! Pinned for when I have leftover bananas hanging around!
So since these are bananas, they’re healthy right?! Yum!
Could these be made in a 13×9 pan?
I don’t see why not, just adjust the baking time!
Hi
Just want to know what type of flour to use…plain or self raising as it is not stipulated
Tks
All-Purpose! Thanks for bringing that to my attention, I’ll fix it ASAP!
Is the measurement of the pan in centimetres or inches??
inches
These Monkey Bars were delicious. I was curious why there was no vanilla. Will make again!
I assume the nutrition information is based on one pan not one serving??? No way is one bar over 4500 calories and 3300 mg sodium. Guess I have to eat the whole pan, right!?!? LOL
You do have to eat them all! Hahaha
I just switched recipe cards and some of the nutritional info didn’t come over correctly. I am fixing it now!! lol
Absolute garbage. I wasted ingredients I could have used for a recipe I knew was good, instead I’ve got flour blondies with a hint of banana.
Followed recipe exactly, and I’m a competent baker, so I don’t know how you’ve got so many 4 star reviews for this borderline flavorless atrocity.
Everyone moderates comments. I usually approve the comments if I think they’re helpful. If they’re downrigt rude or ridiculous I don’t give people that space in my life.
I don’t know why this didn’t turn out for you. I make these several times and year and JUST reshoot the photos a couple of months ago. They are delicious.
Were your bananas ripe enough? In my experience banana recipes made with “just yellow” bananas never turn out that well because the flavor hasn’t deeply developed as it ripens and turns to brown or brown speckled. And “just yellow” bananas also lack moisture which could add them being dry.
Nevermind, you moderate your comments so there’s no longer confusion as to how you’ve got the reviews you’ve got.
As far as the ratings, I think you’re trying to say I manipulated them. I won’t published what I muttered when I read your UTTER bullshit.
This recipes was first published in 2014, and imported to the new recipe card in 2024 so it LOOKS new but its been around for 11 years, long enough to accumulate the honest reviews it has earned. Don’t believe me on the timeline? Prove it to yourself and click one of the old photos at the bottom of the post and it will show the dates of the original photos.