banana bread brownies

i'm an admitted pintereset surfer...  and i love it.  while it can be addicting, i find so many neat and creative ideas that i can use with my kids, decorating, crafts, and yes, cooking :) 

we tend to have a few overripe bananas left each week...  for some reason, the girls will not eat "squishy" and very ripe bananas...and well, they're not my absolute favorite either... 
i saw this recipe on pinterest a few weeks ago...and i dreamed of making it...  i don't even know why they're called "brownies" because there is nothing "brownie-ish" about them...except that they're in a brownie-like pan...  but, basically, this is a hearty banana bread with an AMAZING icing...
and honestly, it's not the most "healthy" recipe... 2 sticks of butter... :)  but it's worth it... :) 
they're "heavy," too (haha, no pun)...very filling in small amounts.  while i could have eaten a lot more than i did, it's a great little treat to share with a neighbor or a friend.... :)  it will brighten their day...just like it will brighten yours :) 
(recipe and photo are from Life's Simple Measures and i notice she calls them "bars" on her site, not brownies, but on Pinterest, they're brownies :))

Ingredients:

Banana Bread Bars:

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 c. sour cream (i used light)

1/2 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:

1/2 c. butter

4 c. powdered sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. milk

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375F. Grease and flour 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute. Stir in walnuts.

2. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately. (watch this carefully...it happens quickly!)

4. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting). Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm).

 

Yield: 2 dozen large bars