Ripe bananas give these cocoa brownies moisture and a gentle banana flavor. They're a useful bake when the fruit bowl needs clearing and there isn't a chocolate bar in the cupboard.
The original recipe was published here in June 2013 and adapted from Donna Hay's cocoa-based standby brownies. These are its original ingredient quantities and baking temperature.
Before you start
Mash the bananas before measuring: the recipe needs one cup, rather than a fixed number of bananas. Let the butter soften so it can cream with the sugar.
The original instructions specify a square pan without giving its dimensions. A wider pan makes a thinner brownie, so use the center's doneness as well as the baking time to judge your batch.
Measuring from US butter sticks? Use the butter calculator for the 180 g in this recipe; a scale is the easiest option.
Chocolate Banana Brownies
40–45 minutes
Ingredients
Tick off each ingredient as you go.
Method
- Prepare the oven and pan. Preheat the oven to 170°C (about 340°F). Line a square baking pan with baking paper.
- Cream the butter. Beat the softened butter, both sugars, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and creamy.
- Add the eggs and banana. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in the mashed banana.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking powder into the bowl. Mix just until combined.
- Bake. Spread the batter into the lined pan, smooth the surface, and tap the pan gently on the counter. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the center is just set and no wet batter remains. Check earlier if your pan makes a shallow layer.
- Slice and serve. Allow the brownies to firm up enough to cut, then slice into squares. Serve warm with a glass of milk.
For a chocolate-bar version with a caramel swirl, try the peanut butter and dulce de leche brownies.
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