Ooey Gooey Banana Bars with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Ooey Gooey Banana Bars

Ooey Gooey Banana Bars are sweet, moist dessert bars loaded with banana and finished with a homemade salted caramel buttercream. They are lovely straight from the pan, but the frosting is what takes this dessert over the top.

I bake these when I want something that feels like a treat without a lot of fuss. The batter comes together in one bowl with a hand mixer, the pan goes into a 350°F oven, and while the bars cool I whip up the buttercream. By the time the coffee is poured, the whole kitchen smells like banana and caramel.

If you are a banana dessert person, this recipe is an easy one to love. If you are simply trying to rescue two ripe bananas before they go too far, it solves that problem too. There is also a Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe on the site when you want another home for the last of the bunch.

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The bars are soft, tender, and generous with banana flavor, and the salted caramel buttercream adds a buttery sweetness with just enough salt to keep things balanced. That combination is why I keep making this pan for family dinners and potlucks.

A pan of these bars works for almost any occasion I can think of. They go to potlucks, they sit on the counter for after school snacks, and they disappear at bake sales. Cut them small if you are feeding a crowd, because they are rich.

Ingredients & Substitutions

The ingredient list for these banana bars is short and familiar, which is part of the appeal. Both the bars and the frosting call for unsalted butter, so the salt level stays in your hands rather than in the wrapper.

Brown sugar is what gives the bars their deeper sweetness and keeps the crumb extra soft, which is exactly what you want in a bar with this name.

For the bananas, plan on two ripe ones, mashed and measured to about ⅔ cup. I like to leave a few small chunks in the mash for texture so every bite is not perfectly smooth.

Ripe bananas matter more than people expect. I wait for plenty of brown speckles on the peel before I mash bananas for baking, since that is where most of the sweetness sits.

For the buttercream, the caramel topping matters a lot. The recipe notes that making homemade caramel sauce instead of reaching for a store bought jar is worth the effort, and there is a caramel sauce recipe on the site if you would like to make your own.

A few small habits help here:

• Set out the eggs and the frosting butter ahead of time so they come to room temperature.
• Sift the confectioners’ sugar so the buttercream turns out smooth.
• Measure the mashed banana after mashing, not before.

Can These Bars be Gluten Free?

Can these bars be gluten free? The honest answer is that the original recipe comes from a baker who does not describe herself as a gluten free baker, so she does not offer a tested swap of her own.

What she does share is reader feedback. People who have made the bars with a high quality gluten free flour replacement report that the recipe works very well that way. If you try it, use a blend you already trust for baking, since the flour does the structural work here. Everything else, including the salted caramel buttercream, stays the same.

Storing & Freezing Ooey Gooey Banana Bars

These bars are at their best fresh, so I try to serve them the day they are made. If you have leftovers, they keep well in an airtight container, or covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.

Freezing works too, with one important note. The original recipe recommends frosting the bars only after they have thawed, so that is exactly how I do it.

My routine looks like this:

1. Let the bars cool completely before doing anything else.
2. Cut and frost what you plan to eat, or frost the whole pan if it will be finished soon.
3. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
4. For longer storage, freeze the unfrosted bars, then thaw and frost when you are ready to serve.

One more habit that helps: let the bars cool completely before they go anywhere near a container. Sealing warm bars traps steam, and steam turns a soft bar into a soggy one.

Because the bars are soft and moist, they are happiest eaten within a short window rather than saved for weeks.

Can I Make the Bars Without the Frosting?

Can I make the bars without the frosting? Yes, you can. The banana bars bake up moist and sweet on their own, and they make a good snack or lunchbox treat with nothing on top.

That said, I do hope you will give the salted caramel buttercream a chance. The author calls it magical, and after one bite of a frosted bar I understood why. The salt, the caramel, and the banana together are the reason this recipe stands out from every other banana bar out there.

More Delicious Bars

If a pan of banana bars disappears too quickly in your house, here are a few more bar recipes from the same kitchen to keep the rotation going.

Magic Cookie Bars

Magic Cookie Bars are the chocolate forward option in this group, the kind of layered bar that people reach for first at a gathering.

If you like the idea of a bar with chocolate and a rich, sweet base, this is a good next bake.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars bring oats and chocolate together in a chewy bar.

They are a nice change of pace when you want something with a little more texture than a soft banana bar.

Chocolate Chip Caramel Bars

Chocolate Chip Caramel Bars close out the list with a pairing that needs no introduction: chocolate and caramel.

If the salted caramel buttercream on these banana bars is your favorite part, this is the recipe to look at next.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 12 servings and divides neatly into two parts: the banana bars and the salted caramel buttercream. Here is everything you will need.

For the Banana Bars

• 1 cup (2 sticks or 227 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups (400 g) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed, some chunks are okay (about ⅔ cup)

For the Salted Caramel Buttercream

• ½ cup (1 stick or 113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups (250 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup (82 g) caramel topping
• 1 ½ teaspoons whole milk, as needed

Two notes before you start. The butter is melted for the bars but soft and at room temperature for the frosting, so read the list twice if you are measuring in a hurry.

The milk in the buttercream is there to adjust consistency, which means you may use a little less or a little more depending on how the frosting comes together.

Instructions

Set the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper before you begin. The bars come together first, and the buttercream is made while they cool.

Banana Bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, combine the melted butter and the brown sugar.
3. On low speed, add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
4. Add the eggs, mixing on low until incorporated.
5. Add the flour and the salt, mixing well.
6. Fold in the mashed bananas.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 32 to 36 minutes, or until the center is set.
8. Let the bars cool as you prepare the buttercream frosting.

Salted Caramel Buttercream

1. Combine the butter, sugar, salt, and caramel topping in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
2. Start mixing on low speed until the sugar is incorporated with the butter.
3. Increase the mixing speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Adjust the consistency with milk as needed.
5. Frost the banana bars with the buttercream after they have cooled completely.

A couple of small things make a real difference here. Mixing the flour and salt in just until they disappear keeps the bars tender, and folding in the bananas by hand leaves those little pockets of fruit.

When the center of the pan is set rather than jiggly, the bars are done. Do not rush the cooling step, because frosting a warm bar means the buttercream slides right off.

If you want to check the bars without guessing, give the pan a gentle nudge. A set center will not wobble. Also, resist the urge to keep mixing once the flour goes in, because a light hand keeps the crumb soft.

Once frosted, the bars are ready to cut. I use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between slices for tidy squares.

Recipe details

Here is the quick reference for planning your bake.

Each serving is stated to contain 680 calories. The bake time of 32 to 36 minutes is the range to watch, since every oven runs a little differently and the bars are done when the center is set.

The buttercream recipe as written covers the whole pan generously, so if you like a thick layer you are in good shape.

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Ooey Gooey Banana Bars

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Ooey Gooey Banana Bars Ooey Gooey Banana Bars are sweet, moist dessert bars loaded with banana and finished with a homemade salted caramel buttercream. They are lovely straight from the pan, but the frosting is what takes this dessert over the top.

• Total Time: 42 min
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Banana Bars
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed, some chunks are okay (about ⅔ cup)

Salted Caramel Buttercream
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup caramel topping
1 ½ teaspoons whole milk, as needed

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Instructions

Banana Bars
1-Preheat the oven to 350°F and line: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2-In a large bowl, using a hand: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar.
3-On low speed, add the vanilla and: On low speed, add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
4-Add the eggs, mixing on low until: Add the eggs, mixing on low until incorporated.
5-Add the flour and the salt, mixing: Add the flour and the salt, mixing well.
6-Fold in the mashed bananas: Fold in the mashed bananas.
7-Pour the batter into the prepared pan: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 32-36 minutes, or until the center is set.
8-Let the bars cool as you prepare: Let the bars cool as you prepare the buttercream frosting.

Salted Caramel Buttercream
9-Combine the butter, sugar, salt, and caramel: Combine the butter, sugar, salt, and caramel topping in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
10-Start mixing on low speed until the: Start mixing on low speed until the sugar is incorporated with the butter.
11-Increase the mixing speed to high and: Increase the mixing speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
12-Adjust the consistency with milk as needed: Adjust the consistency with milk as needed.
13-Frost the banana bars with the buttercream: Frost the banana bars with the buttercream after they have cooled completely.

• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 32 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 680kcal