How do you make something as good as banana bread taste even better? Turn it into soft, moist blondies and cover them with a sweet cream cheese icing! For an extra-special touch, add a cup of chopped walnuts or chocolate chips to the batter before baking.
- Prep time 30 minutes
- Total time 2 hours & 30 minutes
Ingredients
Blondies:
Cream Cheese Icing:
Method
Blondies: In bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in bananas and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk flour with salt; stir into butter mixture in 2 additions. Scrape into parchment paper–lined 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) cake pan, smoothing top.
Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean with a few moist crumbs clinging, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)
Cream Cheese Icing: While blondies are cooling, in bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Beat in icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until fluffy. Spread over blondies; let stand at room temperature until set, about 30 minutes. Lift out onto cutting board; cut into wedges. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.)
Tip from The Test Kitchen: If your bananas are ripe before you're ready to bake, simply pop them into the freezer—skin on—then thaw and peel before baking.
Makes about 48 pieces.
Nutritional facts per piece: about
- Sodium 63 mg
- Sugars 15 g
- Protein 1 g
- Calories 138.0
- Total fat 6 g
- Potassium 45 mg
- Cholesterol 32 mg
- Saturated fat 4 g
- Total carbohydrate 19 g
%RDI
- Iron 3.0
- Folate 5.0
- Calcium 1.0
- Vitamin A 6.0
