Ooey Gooey Banana Bars with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Ooey Gooey Banana Bars

Ooey Gooey Banana Bars are sweet, moist dessert bars loaded with bananas and finished with homemade salted caramel buttercream. The bars are tender and rich all on their own, but the frosting is the part that takes the whole dessert over the top compared with the bars alone.

This is the recipe I reach for when the fruit bowl is full of soft, speckled bananas. I baked a pan on a gray Saturday afternoon not long ago, and by Sunday morning there was a single lonely square left in the dish.

My family has strong opinions about frosting, and the salted caramel buttercream won every vote at the table.

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The recipe suits anyone who loves banana desserts, and it is a genuinely satisfying way to use up ripe bananas. If you have more bananas than one pan can handle, a separate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe is a wonderful place to send the extras.

One batch makes 12 servings in a 9×13 inch pan, so these bars travel well to a potluck, a bake sale, or a quiet weeknight treat at home.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Great bars start with simple basics, and this recipe keeps the shopping list short and friendly.

The recipe calls for unsalted butter in both the bars and the salted caramel buttercream. Unsalted butter keeps the salt level in your own hands, which matters because kosher salt is already part of the ingredient list. That way one ingredient is not quietly seasoning the whole batch while you are still measuring.

Brown sugar is the sweetener for the bars. It brings moisture and a soft caramel note that pairs beautifully with mashed bananas, and it helps the bars stay tender for a day or two.

You need about two ripe bananas, which mash to roughly 2/3 cup. Bananas with brown spots mash the easiest and taste the sweetest, so do not rush them. A few small chunks in the mash are completely fine. They leave little pockets of banana in the baked bars, which is exactly what you want in a gooey bar.

For the frosting, the article advises skipping a store bought caramel sauce and making your own instead. Homemade caramel tastes fresher and thicker, and it is the flavor that earns this buttercream its name.

Everything else is likely in your pantry already: all purpose flour, vanilla extract, eggs, confectioners’ sugar, kosher salt, and a splash of whole milk to loosen the frosting if it needs it.

Can These Bars be Gluten Free?

The article states that the author is not a gluten free specific baker, so she does not make a firm promise here. She does note that some readers have reported the recipe works very well when a high quality gluten free replacement is used in place of the all purpose flour.

If you bake gluten free often and you already have a blend you trust, this is a friendly recipe to try.

If you are newer to gluten free baking, start with a brand you know, and expect the texture of the bars to shift a little. Gluten free blends absorb liquid differently, so the batter may look slightly thicker or thinner than the original.

Storing & Freezing Ooey Gooey Banana Bars

These bars are best served fresh. That is when the banana flavor is brightest and the buttercream is at its softest.

If you have leftovers, store the bars in an airtight container or cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator. Cold bars firm up, so let a square sit on the counter for a few minutes before serving if you prefer a softer bite.

Freezing works well too, with one important step. Freeze the bars before you add the frosting, then thaw them and add the buttercream once they have come back to room temperature. That way the frosting stays smooth instead of separating or turning grainy.

I learned that lesson the hard way with a different frosted dessert, and now I always set aside the frosting for later.

Can I Make the Bars Without the Frosting?

Yes, you can absolutely make the bars without the frosting. They bake up moist and banana forward, and they make a lovely snack square on their own.

That said, the salted caramel buttercream is described as a particularly good addition to these bars. It adds a salty, buttery finish that balances the sweetness of the brown sugar. If you are on the fence, frost half the pan and leave half plain.

You will learn your own preference fast, and nobody at the table will complain about a taste test.

More Delicious Bars

If you enjoy baking in a pan, these other bar recipes are worth a look.

They are the kind of recipes that fill a dish quickly and disappear even faster, which is exactly what you want when you are baking for a crowd or a busy week.

Magic Cookie Bars

Magic Cookie Bars are the chocolate cookie recipe to try next if you love layered, sweet, and simple pan baking.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars are a cozy choice for anyone who wants a chewier bar with oats and chocolate in every bite.

Chocolate Chip Caramel Bars

Chocolate Chip Caramel Bars are another bar recipe worth adding to your baking list, especially if caramel is your favorite flavor.

Ingredients

Here is the full list, split into the two components so nothing gets mixed up while you bake.

For the Banana Bars

• 1 cup (2 sticks or 227 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups (400 g) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed, some chunks are okay (about 2/3 cup)

For the Salted Caramel Buttercream

• 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups (250 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup (82 g) caramel topping
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk, as needed

Room temperature butter and eggs blend into the batter and the frosting much more smoothly, so pull them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes ahead if you can. Sifting the confectioners’ sugar keeps the buttercream silky instead of lumpy, and it takes only a minute.

Instructions

Make the banana bars. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Parchment makes the bars easy to lift out later and keeps the edges from sticking to the pan.

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the melted butter and the brown sugar. On low speed, add the vanilla and mix until it is incorporated.

Add the eggs, mixing on low until they disappear into the batter. Then add the flour and the salt and mix well, scraping down the bowl once so no dry pockets hide at the bottom.

Fold in the mashed bananas with a spatula. You want banana streaks running through the batter rather than a perfectly smooth mix, so a few gentle swirls are plenty.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly to the corners. Bake for 32 to 36 minutes, or until the center is set. A gentle press in the middle should feel firm rather than wet.

Let the bars cool in the pan as you prepare the buttercream frosting.

Make the salted caramel buttercream. Combine the room temperature butter, the confectioners’ sugar, the kosher salt, and the caramel topping in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Start mixing on low speed until the sugar is incorporated with the butter. Mixing on low first is the small trick that keeps a cloud of powdered sugar off your counter and out of your hair.

Increase the mixing speed to high and beat until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Adjust the consistency with milk as needed. A teaspoon or so loosens a stiff frosting without turning it runny.

Frost the banana bars only after they have cooled completely. A warm bar will melt the buttercream and leave you with a glossy puddle instead of a soft, fluffy swoosh.

Let the bars cool completely before frosting. That single step is what protects the silky texture of the salted caramel buttercream.

Recipe details

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 32 minutes, and the total time comes to 42 minutes. One batch yields 12 servings, and the listed nutrition information is 680 calories per serving.

If you make these bars for a gathering, cut them into squares while they are still slightly chilled. The frosting stays neat and the bars hold their shape, and they warm up to that soft, gooey texture within a few minutes on the plate.

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Ooey Gooey Banana Bars

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Ooey Gooey Banana Bars Ooey Gooey Banana Bars are sweet, moist dessert bars loaded with bananas and finished with homemade salted caramel buttercream. The bars are tender and rich all on their own, but the frosting is the part that takes the whole dessert over the top compared with the bars alone.

• Total Time: 42 min
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Banana Bars
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed, some chunks are okay (about ⅔ cup)

Salted Caramel Buttercream
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup caramel topping
1 ½ teaspoons whole milk, as needed

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Instructions

Banana Bars
1-Preheat the oven to 350°F and line: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2-In a large bowl, using a hand: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar.
3-On low speed, add the vanilla and: On low speed, add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
4-Add the eggs, mixing on low until: Add the eggs, mixing on low until incorporated.
5-Add the flour and the salt, mixing: Add the flour and the salt, mixing well.
6-Fold in the mashed bananas: Fold in the mashed bananas.
7-Pour the batter into the prepared pan: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 32-36 minutes, or until the center is set.
8-Let the bars cool as you prepare: Let the bars cool as you prepare the buttercream frosting.

Salted Caramel Buttercream
9-Combine the butter, sugar, salt, and caramel: Combine the butter, sugar, salt, and caramel topping in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
10-Start mixing on low speed until the: Start mixing on low speed until the sugar is incorporated with the butter.
11-Increase the mixing speed to high and: Increase the mixing speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
12-Adjust the consistency with milk as needed: Adjust the consistency with milk as needed.
13-Frost the banana bars with the buttercream: Frost the banana bars with the buttercream after they have cooled completely.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 32 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 680 kcal