Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Bars (Printable)

Moist, gluten-free bars combining ripe bananas and creamy peanut butter. Ready in 32 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - 1 cup creamy peanut butter
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Spices & Add-ins

06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
07 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
08 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
02 - Combine mashed bananas, creamy peanut butter, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until completely smooth and well incorporated.
03 - Sprinkle cinnamon, sea salt, and baking soda into the wet mixture. Stir thoroughly to ensure even distribution of leavening agents and spices.
04 - Gently fold dark chocolate chips into the batter if desired, taking care not to overmix.
05 - Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and spread evenly with a spatula to ensure uniform thickness.
06 - Bake for 20-22 minutes until the center is completely set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
07 - Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before cutting into 8 even portions for clean slices.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • No one will believe these are gluten-free because the texture is perfectly fudgy and rich.
  • You probably have every ingredient in your pantry right now which means spontaneous baking is always an option.
  • The banana does all the sweetening work so you can feel good about eating them for breakfast.
02 -
  • Overripe bananas with lots of brown spots are essential because underripe bananas will make the bars taste bland and starchy.
  • These bars continue to firm up as they cool so do not worry if the center seems slightly jiggly right when you pull them from the oven.
  • The parchment paper overhang is not optional unless you want to wrestle with stuck bars later.
03 -
  • Let your peanut butter come to room temperature before mixing because cold peanut butter creates stubborn lumps that are impossible to smooth out.
  • Line your pan with parchment paper in both directions so you can lift the entire batch out at once for perfect edges.

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