I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of making Banana and Nutella brownies before. I’m the type of person who loves banana flavor but dislikes eating actual bananas. There’s just something about their texture that I don’t especially like. However, because of this texture, they are perfect to use in baking.
I’ve made banana bread more often than any other recipe that includes bananas. It was definitely time to make something new without straying too far from what I know. (Let’s just say I wasn’t in one of my more “experimental” moods). Thanks to Chelsweets, I didn’t need to look far before finding a recipe I was excited to try.
As suggested on her site, it’s best to use over-ripened bananas for this recipe. She explains that over-ripened bananas are great for baking because as they ripen, more of the starch is converted into sugar. This results in sweeter and more tender baked goods. I was curious, so I did a bit more research and discovered that ripe bananas are also great for our health! Does this balance out the use of butter, and brown sugar? That’s up to you, but either way, you’ll hear no judgment from me.
This can also be cut into whichever type of serving you wish, squares for brownies, slices for cake- it’s up to you. You can even bake these to be like cookies, but be careful of the baking times- you wouldn’t want them to burn! Basically, they would suit any type of baking pan you wish to use; have fun with it!
Banana and Nutella Brownies
Ingredients
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 cup Light or Dark Brown Sugar (Or, you can replace this with half a banana)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Large Egg, room temperature
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1 cup Mashed Overripe Banana, (About 2 medium bananas)
3/4 cup Nutella
Optional:
2 Tbsps Ground Flax Seeds
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or foil and spray with cooking spray. I like using avocado oil for basically everything. Set aside.
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), cream together 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Mix it just until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
Add 1.5 tsp vanilla extract and 1 large egg. Mix at a medium-low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
Mix in 1 cup of all-purpose flour and a few Tbsps of the ground flax seed if using. Mix on low until the streaks of flour aren’t visible anymore. Add 1 cup mashed banana and mix. Try to avoid leaving too many large pieces of banana. If you do, don’t be concerned. They can be a nice surprise to bite into. Fold in 3/4 cup Nutella.
Add the mixture to the pan. If you’d like, you can top it with some chocolate chips, but I think the Nutella provides enough sweetness. Any more may be over-powering.
A tip that I learned over the years, is to lightly tap the bottom of the pan before placing it in the oven. This helps to get rid of any air bubbles.
Bake for 32-36 minutes, rotating the pan halfway to help the bars bake evenly.
Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Remove it from the oven when the edges are golden brown. By this time, the center should be baked through.
Cool thoroughly before cutting. Leftovers can either be covered with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container. You can store them in the fridge for up to a week, but we doubt they will last that long. Enjoy!