Photo by CAS
I am frequently overly optimistic when I purchase Bananas. They look so golden & delicious. . .the kids love them. . . they are only $.44 a lb. . . we’ll go through a dozen in no time right?
Wrong.
Sometimes we do-I swear Princess would eat 3 a day if I would let her. My mom & mother-in-law, nurses both, do not recommend that for a daily intake unless you want to serve prune juice alongside!
But other times, many other times, we have bananas that start to go brown.
Banana bread is a classic-but sometimes you get tired of it and want something different. Need a new way to use up Bananas going brown? Try Banana Squares! These delicious treats are similar to a blonde banana brownie. Think of it as a cookie alternative.
Banana Squares
1C Sugar
1C Mashed Banana
1/3C oil
2 eggs
1C Flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
-Mix sugar, mashed bananas, oil eggs.
-Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
-Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix till thoroughly combined.
-Spread into a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 min.
Variations:
Sprinkle top with powdered sugar when cool.
Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Add chocolate chips (1/4 to 1/2 C).
TMI: You know, my kids power through bananas like nobody’s business and they don’t have the *ahem* adverse side effect.
Not TMI: I will be trying this recipe. Thanks!
Heather-I’m just passing on what the Grandma’s told me. You ignore the grandmas at your own risk 🙂
I like my bananas when they’re under-ripe by US Standards. I have done a lot of business in the Virgin Islands and it was down there that I got a taste for them that way (they think most Americans like their ‘naners overripe). For that reason, we are always understocked in them and will run into the store just to make sure to pick up just a few before they “go too far.”
When it’s time to make banana bread, consider the marked down section and get the overripe ones for ten cents a pound. Now that I’ve seen this recipe, I think I’ll be doing that this weekend!
Also, you can scrape whatever you can off the inside of the peel and give it to your dog. Mine loooooves it! Also, press the insides of the peel on any scrapes or burns.
Those sound yummy!! I’m always on the lookout for more banana recipes 🙂 My older ds is a banana monster so they don’t usually get to the overripe stage around here; I buy marked down bananas from the discount produce rack to use in baking.
Our family’s all time favourite banana recipe is these muffins:
http://abundanceonadime.blogspot.com/2008/04/recipe-banana-chocolate-chip-muffins.html
Well, I’m not a grandma but I play one on the web. And I just did banana bread earlier this week. And I’ve got a couple more bananas downstairs starting to turn, so I think I’ll be bookmarking this page.
Yum, I am going to make these tonight! Have you ever tried using egg whites? I will let you know how they turn out!
These sound great and a nice alternative to banana bread. Thanks for the recipe.
P.S. I finally updated my blog roll this week and added your site.
Thanks Jenn! We also end up with more brown bananas then I would like. I’ll give this recipe a whirl!
Jen,
For some reason, not a one of our family of six ate the two dozen organic bananas that I snagged at .39/lb! Your recipe came just in time, and my high school freshman son has scarfed down 1.5 pans of the 3 that I made. He even took containers with him today and yesterday, saying that he’d rather have them than Panera!
They were so easy to make and I think that next time I can sub whole wheat flour for part of the white. The cost per pan was under a dollar and made 16 teenage boy size squares. Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Glad everyone enjoyed the recipe-and Elizabeth I am SO glad that they worked out well for your family (and especially your son). I’m sure you could use part whole wheat flour & even slip some wheat germ in (maybe a TBS per recipe) to up the fiber content as well 🙂
When our bananas get too ripe I throw them in the freezer – with skins intact! For recipes I dig them out and remove the skin and bruises. Cut them into chunks and let them sit in your mixing bowl to defrost while you gather the other ingredients. No waste and wonderfully rich banana flavor!
My seven-year old has had a hankering for “Banana Squares” for a week now; no other banana concoction will do. None of our many recipe books has one for this! So your on-line recipe was a very happy find, fun to make together, delicious, and made for a very happy boy. Thank you!
So glad you both enjoyed them. And they are fairly healthy too 🙂