Monkey Squares (Banana Bread Bars)

What is up with bananas and their incredibly short edibility window? Nobody in my family cares much for bananas except me, so I don't buy them often, but when I do it seems like I never actually get to eat more than one of them before they're brown and mushy! I've tried buying them green to give myself a little more time, but somehow they manage to go from under-ripe to overripe in less time than it takes me to convince myself to snack on a banana instead of a bag of chips.

I used to turn my brown bananas into a loaf of banana bread, but this recipe takes it up a notch with the addition of a browned butter icing that is freaking awesome! Even better, I've learned that I don't have to use my over-ripe bananas immediately, I can stick them in the freezer and pull them out when I'm good and ready! This is great for when you only have one sad, little banana left and the recipe calls for three.  The skin turns completely brown when you freeze them, but the inside is just the right kind of mushy for this yummy treat.

Monkey Squares
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 25 min
Serves 24

1-1/2 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
4 cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs milk

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 mix just till combined. Stir in walnuts.

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

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. (The color change happens in an instant so watch carefully or it will burn!)

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).

286 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Blackberry Crumble Bars

They say you appreciate things more if you have to work for them. If that's the case, then this ought to be the best dessert my family has ever had, especially for my mom!

Every summer, my husband and I pick blackberries from a tangle of bushes that grow wildly along the path we like to walk each night. I've never been to a blackberry farm, but I can only hope that cultivated bushes are a little easier to pick from than the unruly snarl we try to harvest. We usually leave bloody and covered in scratches and splinters, with purple fingers and torn clothes, but also with full baskets and happy smiles.

This year, my mom was visiting, so she agreed to help us with our endeavor, but her enthusiasm got the best of her when she tried to climb a little too deep into the maze and fell flat on her tushy, right in the middle of a thorny bush! She lost her whole bucket of berries, and her pride, but Allen and I managed to pick enough that she still got to enjoy this delicious dessert.

If you don't have access to your own berry patch, or prefer not to injure yourself in the quest for fresh berries, you can certainly go buy them.  I'm sure they'll taste almost as good! Actually, this recipe would work just fine with lots of different fruits, so feel free to try whatever kind you like!

Blackberry Crumble Bars

Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 40 min
Serves 16

3/4 cup + 1-1/2 tbsp sugar, divided
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbs lime juice
2 cups blackberries
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg yolk
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment and spritz lightly with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in lime juice. Add blackberries, toss to coat, and set aside.

In larger bowl, whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add egg yolk, vanilla and butter cubes. Using a pastry cutter, work the mixture together until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Spread 2/3 of the mixture into prepared pan, pressing down to even out and flatten. Top with blackberry mixture, spreading into an even layer.  Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over top and then sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick test is clean and top is golden brown.

Let cool completely before cutting and serving unless you are serving with ice cream, which is better with a warm bar. Cool about 15 minutes in pan before cutting if serving with ice cream.

117 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!