Banana Nut Brownies
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Banana Nut Brownies are a decadent twist on the classic brownie, blending a rich, fudgy texture of chocolate with the naturally sweet flavor of ripe bananas. The chopped walnuts add a nutty flavor and crunchy texture.
Lately I feel like they’ve been giving us a lot of extra bananas in our market order. While we like bananas we’ve been having 2-3 leftover each week for the last few weeks.
I used to always make Banana Bread out of overripe bananas but after a while that started to get old. I started looking for other ways to use up my ripe bananas before I had to throw them away.
One of my new favorite recipes are these Copycat Crumbl Banana Bread Cookies. I’ve also been enjoying Banana Nutella Muffins as a snack in my lunchbox throughout the week. For a treat Banana Bars topped with Chocolate are great. Whenever we are home for the summer Banana Pudding Parfaits are a nice surprise.
These brownies are best with overripe bananas. I’m not talking bananas with a few little spots on them, I’m talking the riper the better to bring out the sweetness against the bitterness of the cocoa powder.
How do you ripen a banana?
If you don’t have ripe bananas in the house you can ripen the ones you do have. Put them in a brown paper bag and close it. They should ripen in 24-36 hours. If you are looking for a faster way preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Bake on a baking sheet for 30 minutes or until the banana peel has blackened and is soft to the touch.
I chose to add walnuts to the brownies because I feel like walnuts go really well with bananas. However, you can add hazelnuts, pecans, or almonds if you prefer.
Ingredients:
- salted butter (or unsalted if you prefer)
- granulated sugar
- cocoa powder
- eggs
-
milk or heavy cream
- vanilla extract
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- ripe bananas
- walnuts (or other nut)
To make the brownies preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the cocoa powder and mix well. Stir in the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well to combine. Add the mashed bananas and mix well. Fold in the nuts. Pour into a 9 inch square baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
Can I bake this in another sized pan?
You can bake it in an 8 inch square pan and add about 5 minutes to the baking time. You can also bake the brownies in a 9 inch round cake pan.
These brownies puffed up and looked light and fluffy. The texture was fairly soft and airy. I liked the sweetness from the bananas paired with the bitterness of the cocoa powder. The nuts gave the brownies some texture and a nutty flavor.
I served my brownies with a drizzle of caramel sauce and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. You can also serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a bit of whipped cream.
How do you store these brownies?
Store the brownies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also wrap them in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag and freeze them up to 3 months.
Banana Nut Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup ripe bananas mashed
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the cocoa powder and mix well.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and milk, and mix well to combine.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well to combine.
- Stir in the mashed bananas.
- Fold in the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely then dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with caramel sauce.
Notes
