Banana Recipe #1:If Brownies & Banana Bread Had Babies [Banana Brownie Recipe]

A week and a half or so ago, I went to my friend's son's 4th birthday party. It was Curious George themed, and there were monkeys, bananas, and men (OK, only one man--Micah's daddy) in a yellow suit all over the place. While the kids were leaving one by one as they had tired themselves out from the bounce house and experiencing their imminent sugar crash, my friend was trying to clean up and do other post-party musts. Since she had bought a plethora of bananas and didn't know what to do with them, she handed me two huge bunches. I could have just frozen them to make smoothies or do the typical banana bread, but I got the urge to try a series of new banana-related recipes. 

Recipe #1 came as the result of me having a craving for chocolate and bananas. I figured that there was no way I was the first person to think of banana brownies, so I googled the recipe and sifted through a few before deciding on which I one I wanted to try. 

I saw a few four-star recipes but then stumbled on a state-fair winning one that seemed like it'd be the one; I was right. They're delicious--like a fine marriage of fudge, brownies, and banana bread.  

 

(I realize the picture's not the best one to post, but it's the only one I took of this brownie. If it makes up for anything--that stuff you see smothered all over it is Fresh & Easy's roasted banana gelato :)).

Thanks to Gloria's state fair winning recipe:

Ingredients

-5 oz semi sweet chocolate (or a little less than 1 cup chips)

-1 oz bittersweet chocolate (or 3 tablespoons chips)

- 6 tablespoons salted butter

-1 cup packed light brown sugar (I used dark--didn't have any light)

-2 large eggs

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 of a small banana (I added a whole large one, so you can actually taste banana)--well mashed

-3/4 cup sifted flour

-1 Tbl unsweetened natural cocoa powder

-1/4 tsp. salt (if using unsalted butter, add an extra pinch)

-1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

-1/2 cup lightly toasted chopped pecans (I used walnuts)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray cooking spray on only the bottom of an 8x8 inch metal pan. 

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat, then reduce heat to low and add 5 oz and 1 oz of chocolates. Cook and stir over low until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes.  

Mix flour, cocoa, and salt together and set aside.

Combine sugar, eggs, banana in a separate bowl--stir until combined. (Using a fork for this makes it pretty easy)

Add chocolate mixture to sugar, egg, banana mixture--stir until combined.

Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.

Fold in that last 1/2 cup of choc. chips and nuts. Bake 35-40 minutes. Check it at 35 minutes.

Cool before cutting. 

Enjoy!