Got ripe bananas? Let’s make some banana brownies!
These are my absolute favorite brownies these days! They are sooo rich and tasty, and I love that are much healthier than regular brownies! If you are looking for some healthier options after all the holiday desserts, give these babies a try!
Bananas… in Brownies?
Yes, indeedy. Bananas are in these brownies! They are actually gluten-free as well, thanks to the exclusion of flour!
Now, living in Costa Rica, we grow lots and lots of bananas. AND Banana racks can be enormous! A good-sized rack can weigh over 100 pounds! That is a lot of bananas!
What do we do with all those bananas? Well, we eat them of course! (Have you tried my banana overnight oats or banana pancakes?)
Our favorite banana hack!
Since so many can ripen at the SAME time, our favorite approach to banana management is to remove them from the rack just as SOON as they turn yellow. Once they just turn yellow, we put them in the fridge. (No need to cover them in a sealed container.) It works best if you use a knife to separate them from the rack and keep the banana’s top and bottom intact.
Moving them to the fridge like this will vastly slow down their ripening, thereby buying you more time to enjoy them before they get TOO ripe!
Now, when you do this, the outside of the banana will turn brown or black like this:
Not the most appealing appearance, right? But take a look on the inside:
Beautiful, right? They are also nice and soft on the inside just like a “regular” banana… only cold.
Bananas if transferred directly to the fridge when they are JUST ripe can stay delicious for several weeks!
Now that you’ve bought more banana time, what shall we make?
My Favorite Banana Brownies!
This recipe I am sharing with you today comes from Shuangy’s Kitchensink, and let me tell you, I love these brownies!
The base of these brownies are bananas and cacao powder, along with eggs and a nut butter!
I make a few adjustments/adaptations to Shuang’s recipe, however:
- Although she uses almond butter in her recipe, I use crunchy peanut butter because that is what I keep on hand.
- I use turbinado/natural cane sugar instead of coconut sugar, and I add in 1/4 cup
- Also, I add in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to bring out even more chocolatey-ness!
One other thing I do differently is that I line my baking pan with a heat-treated banana leaf instead of parchment. Why do I use a banana leaf? Click here to find out.
Here is what the brownies look like straight out of the oven, cooked on a banana leaf!
And viola! Here they are removed from the pan!
Now, I love these brownies warm, gooey, and straight from the oven, but I think they are even better when chilled! If you give these brownies a try, let me know in the comments!
Decadent, healthy brownies? Check them out!
Want to see Shuang’s recipe for her DEE-licious and healthy banana brownies? Click here for the full recipe and directions. Or click my recipe pin on Pinterest below! If you have difficulty accessing the recipe in your language, let me know!
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