Peanut Butter Banana Brownies

These Peanut Butter Banana Brownies are soft, extra moist, and loaded with banana, chocolate, and peanut butter in every bite. Three kinds of baking chips, a creamy peanut butter swirl, and optional walnuts turn ripe bananas into an indulgent brownie bar that's perfect for dessert, snacking, or sharing.

Peanut Butter Banana Brownies at a Glance

• 🍽️ Course: Dessert
• ⏱️ Total Time: 55 minutes, plus cooling
• 🍴 Servings: 9 brownies
• 🍌 Flavor Profile: Sweet banana with chocolate, peanut butter, cinnamon, and optional walnuts
• 🍨 Best Served With: Coffee, milk, vanilla ice cream, or fresh banana slices
• 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes. Cool completely before storing.

The generous amount of ripe banana keeps these bars exceptionally tender, while mini and dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and a peanut butter swirl add rich dessert flavor. These banana peanut butter brownies are a delicious way to use overripe bananas when you want something more indulgent than traditional banana bread.

If you love baking with ripe bananas, these banana lentil muffins and banana bread cookies are a fun change from traditional banana bread and an easy addition to a dessert tray or family gathering.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Loaded with mix-ins: Banana, three kinds of baking chips, creamy peanut butter, and optional walnuts give every bite plenty of chocolate-peanut butter flavor.
• Extra moist and tender: Ripe bananas, butter, and brown sugar create exceptionally soft bars.
• Peanut butter throughout: Peanut butter chips flavor the batter while melted creamy peanut butter creates a rich swirl on top.

How We Tested This Recipe

• Bananas: We tested the amount and settled on 1½ cups of very ripe mashed banana for noticeable banana flavor and an extra-moist texture without making the bars too wet.
• Chocolate and peanut butter: We preferred mini chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips together because they create pockets of different flavors throughout the bars.
• Peanut butter swirl: ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter gave us a noticeable swirl without overwhelming the banana. Melting it first made it much easier to swirl evenly.
• Pan and baking: An 8x8-inch metal pan gave us the results we preferred. The brownies were ready at about 40 minutes, when the edges were set and a tester near the center came out with a few moist crumbs rather than wet batter.
• Cooling: We found that cooling the brownies completely was important. The soft center sets as it cools, giving the bars a better texture and making them much easier to slice cleanly.

Ingredients

These brownies use simple baking staples plus plenty of banana, chocolate, and peanut butter for a soft, flavor-packed treat.

• Very ripe bananas: Provide natural sweetness, moisture, and plenty of banana flavor.
• Butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar: Create a rich, sweet, and tender brownie base.
• Egg: Binds the ingredients and provides structure.
• All-purpose flour: Gives the moist banana batter enough structure to hold together.
• Cinnamon: Adds subtle warmth that complements the banana, chocolate, and peanut butter.
• Chocolate and peanut butter chips: Mini chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips create pockets of chocolate and peanut butter throughout.
• Creamy peanut butter: Melted and swirled over the batter for an extra layer of peanut butter flavor.
• Walnuts: Optional for a crunchy contrast to the soft brownies.

See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.

Variations

• Skip the walnuts: Simply leave them out if you prefer the brownies without added crunch.
• Change the nuts: Substitute pecans for the walnuts.
• Change the chocolate: Use your favorite combination of semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate chips.
• Add more texture: Sprinkle a small amount of chopped walnuts or chocolate chips over the batter before baking.

How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Brownies

These brownies come together easily in a few simple steps. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to lift the cooled brownies from the pan.

Step 1: Mix Dry Ingredients. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl and set aside.

Step 2: Mix the Wet Ingredients. Mash the ripe bananas until mostly smooth. Combine them with the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla until evenly mixed.

Step 3: Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until no dry streaks remain.

Step 4: Add the Chips and Walnuts. Gently fold in the mini chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and walnuts, if using.

Step 5: Add the Peanut Butter Swirl. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Drizzle the melted creamy peanut butter over the top and gently swirl it through the surface with a knife or skewer.

Step 6: Bake and Cool. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are set and a tester inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Cool completely before lifting from the pan and slicing.

Expert Baking Tips

• Measure the mashed banana: Banana sizes vary, so measure 1½ cups after mashing rather than relying on the number of bananas.
• Don't overmix: Once the dry ingredients are added, mix only until no dry streaks remain to keep the brownies tender.
• Use parchment overhang: Leave enough parchment above the sides of the pan to easily lift out the cooled brownies before slicing.

Storage Directions

Room Temperature: Store completely cooled brownies in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Refrigerator: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Let them sit at room temperature briefly before serving if you prefer a softer texture.

Freezer: Freeze individual brownies in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Make Ahead: Bake the brownies a day ahead, cool completely, and store them tightly covered until serving.

Serving Suggestions

• Warm a brownie slightly and add a scoop of homemade banana ice cream or chocolate crunch ice cream for dessert.
• Serve at room temperature for the softest, most balanced texture.
• Pair with cold milk, peanut butter milkshake or dalgona cloud coffee for an easy afternoon treat.

Peanut Butter Banana Brownies FAQs

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More Banana Recipes

If you're a peanut butter brownie lover, try our peanut butter brownies and Reese's brownies. For more ways to use ripe bananas, check out more of our favorite banana recipes below.