8 Yummy Banana Recipes

Bite Me More | May 11th, 2017

No monkeying around—this collection of banana-centric recipes are the best of the bunch!

Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you love banana bread (and trust us, our Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread is divine) but feel like it’s missing a little something, then these Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are for you. Golden, moist banana cake-like bars are baked to perfection and slathered with a cream cheese frosting that going to make you, well, bananas!

Ingredients

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1¼ cups)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup butter, room temperature
2½ cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Graham cracker crumbs, to garnish

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 13×9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2) Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and sour cream, mixing well to combine. On low speed, add flour, baking soda and salt just until flour disappears. Fold in mashed bananas and lemon juice. Spread batter into baking pan and bake for 26-28 minutes or until a wooden stick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

3) For the cream cheese frosting, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy. On low speed, gradually add icing sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined. Continue to beat on medium speed until frosting is the desired spreading consistency. Spread banana bars with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate after frosting. Cut into bars and serve.

Yield: 20 banana bars

Frozen Chocolate, Banana & Peanut Butter Pie

Elvis was able to swivel his hips and make women bawl, but really, he was just your average Joe, a guy who loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches. This pie is our hunka-hunka-freezing-love tribute to him – a simple, velvety smooth icebox pie that would surely have elicited a “thank you, thank you very much” from the Pelvis.

Ingredients

Vanilla Wafer Crust

1¼ cups finely ground vanilla wafer cookies (about 35)
¼ cup melted butter
2 tbsp sugar

Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Banana Filling

1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate, melted
3 large bananas, sliced
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
½ cup cream cheese, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract
4 cups frozen dessert topping, defrosted

½ cup chocolate sundae syrup, for topping

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.

2) For the crust, in a medium bowl, combine vanilla crumbs, butter and sugar. Press against the bottom and sides of the pie plate to form a crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely before filling.

3) Cover the bottom of the crust with the melted chocolate and arrange banana slices on top of chocolate.

4) In an electric mixer, cream together brown sugar, peanut butter, cream cheese and vanilla on medium speed until smooth. Gently fold in whipped topping and spread over bananas. Drizzle top with chocolate sundae syrup.

5) Cover pie with plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 3 hours before serving. For easier cutting, remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

It’s not just good things that come to those who wait…delicious things come too, especially where your bananas are concerned. Be patient and let them ripen to perfection—their natural sugars will take over, guaranteeing a big taste of sweetness in this moist, chocolaty loaf.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups ripe bananas (3-4), mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups chopped semi-sweet or milk chocolate

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2) Using an electric mixer, cream together sugar and butter on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Beat on low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate chunks just until moistened and the flour has disappeared. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

3) Bake 70 minutes, until lightly browned on top and cooked through. Cool 10 minutes in the pan before removing to cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 14-16 slices

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Banana Cupcakes

Yes, you read that right. This easy recipe for moist banana cupcakes also includes a delicious Cinnamon Toast Crunch icing. If that doesn’t have you drooling (really, how couldn’t it?), you might like to know that these crowd-pleasing cupcakes aren’t only frosted, but also stuffed with the creamy, cinnamon cereal icing and topped with crunchy cereal bites.

Ingredients

Banana Cupcakes

2 cups flour
1½ cups sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
2 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups mashed bananas, about 3 bananas

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Frosting

1½ cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, finely crushed
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp whole milk

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, crushed for garnish

Directions

1) For the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners and coat with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Fold flour mixture and mashed bananas into egg mixture, just until all ingredients are combined. Spoon batter into prepared cupcake liners until each is 2/3 full. Bake 19-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

3) For the frosting, using an electric mixer, combine crushed cereal, butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar on low speed. Once combined, on medium speed, add milk and beat until desired consistency.

4) To assemble the cupcakes, using a paring knife, cut out a small cone from the center of each cupcake. Spoon a small amount of frosting into each cupcake. Spread remaining frosting on top of the cupcakes and garnish with crushed cereal.

Yield: 18 cupcakes

Chunky Peanut Butter & Banana Cookies

Why didn’t Elvis just sing it “Are You Hungry Tonight?” He was the King of the Kitchen and his deep love of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches is legendary. In honor of Elvis, Chef Lisa created these moist and chunky peanut butter, banana and chocolate chip cookies. One bite and you too will be swiveling your hips and singing hunka hunk, burning love.

Ingredients

½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
6 tbsp chunky peanut butter
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium, ripe banana, about 1/3 cup mashed
2 cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
1½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped peanuts, unsalted

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2) Using an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter, egg yolk, vanilla and mashed banana until well combined. On low speed add flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips and chopped peanuts, mixing just until flour disappears.

3) Drop dough by ¼ cup at a time, 2 inches apart on to the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 14-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack.

Yield: 12-14 cookies

Banana Mango Smoothie

No gym-and-tonic today. This deliciously frosty and fruity banana mango smoothie will quench your thirst while filling you with calcium and vitamins.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen peeled and diced mango
1 large ripe banana, sliced
½ cup skim milk
1 tsp honey
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Using a blender, blend mango, banana, milk, honey and vanilla extract on high speed until slushy and well combined.

Serves 1

Bulce de Leche Banana Milkshake

How do you give your shake a little South American sweetness? Throw in some decadent dulce de leche with your banana and ice cream to blend up a thick, creamy and intensely delicious milkshake!

Ingredients

2 cups vanilla ice cream
¼ cup dulce de leche
¼ cup whole milk
1 medium ripe banana

Whipped cream, for garnish
Dulce de leche, to drizzle over whipped cream

Directions

Using a blender, combine ice cream, dulce de leche, milk and a ripe banana. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large milkshake glass and garnish with whipped cream and a drizzle of dulce de leche.

Serves 1

Banana Bream Pie Shot

Ditch the fork and knife and shake up this delicious Banana Cream Pie Shot.

Ingredients

1/2 oz banana liqueur
1/2 oz creme de cacao
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz half-and-half

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a shot glass.

Yield: 1 shot

Authors of bestselling cookbooks Bite Me, Bite Me Too and Lick Your Plate, saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat love eating, feeding, entertaining and dishing up easy recipes at BiteMeMore.com.