Yogurt Banana Pecan Bars with Browned Butter Glaze

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Got Bananas you need to use up? Tired of that same old banana bread? Try these Banana Bars made with Fage 0% Fat Greek Yogurt instead. They are made just that much more delicious here, by being topped with a Browned Butter Glaze.

Afternoon delight!

The original recipe for these came from my Aunt B as the most delicious Sour Cream Banana Bars (she is an awesome baker) so feel free to substitute sour cream for the Fage 0% Greek yogurt I use here if you want. I also increased the pecans and vanilla extract to my taste in the recipe below.

Banana Bars – my way (makes one half sheet pan)

  • 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup Fage o% fat Greek yogurt (may substitute sour cream or low fat Greek yogurt)
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1-1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (throw out any overly bruised parts before mashing)
  • 3 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans (or other nuts of your choice or leave out if you don’t like them)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Butter and flour a jelly roll pan (half sheet pan aka 11 x 17 x 1″ pan) Cream the butter with the sugar, add the eggs and yogurt and beat at high speed for one minute. Add the banana and vanilla extract, beat 30 seconds more. Combine the flour with the salt and baking soda and mix into the batter. Add the nuts. Spread evenly into prepared pan and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and springs back when touched in the middle. Cool completely and then frost with browned butter glaze.

Browned Butter Glaze

  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans or other choice of nuts (optional)

Brown the butter in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat until it turns a light golden brown. Mix in the other ingredients and beat with a whisk until smooth and spreadable. Spread evenly over cooled cake and top with chopped nuts if desired. Cut into bars.

Hope you enjoy!

FYI: I did not receive any incentive from Fage to post this recipe and BTW if you head on over to their page, I think they are running a Greek vacation give away contest. Plus they have coupons. Just saying…

Happy Veterans Day!

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Gramps in the Army in WWII

Ryan coming home from Iraq

Thanks to all the Veterans out there who have given service to our country and thanks to their families for their support and sacrifices.

Honors to them today!

The Cookiepedia – Mint Thins

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Hi there sorry it’s been so long. The lovely folks over at Quirk Books were kind enough to send me “The Cookiepedia” by Stacy Adimando with photos by Tara Striano to look over.

I found the cookbook to be a fun read with a great assortment of recipes and luscious photos. It is pulled together nicely with categories listed as “Buttery, Chocolaty, Fancy, Fruity, Spicy, and Nutty & Seedy”, a fun graphic design and a user friendly spiral binding inside the covers. I have baked a few recipes from it and my favorite so far are these “Mint Thins” cookies: (photo and recipe reprinted with permission from Quirk Books)

Mint Thins by Stacy Adimondo, makes: 3 dozen cookies

preheat oven to 350°F
 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
 1 cup powdered sugar
 1 egg
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 2/3 cup cocoa powder
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon peppermint flavor

Nobody you know will not come by when you say you’re
baking homemade mint thins. (If they don’t so much as
 ask, consider defriending them immediately.) The question
 is: Do you want to share?

The baking and dunking takes
 no time (especially if you’re tasting as you go),

but these bite-size treats do hold up best (and taste yummiest)

 once the mint chocolate has had ample time to set. If
you’re protective of your stash, store them in the freezer.

They’re best with a chill anyway.

1. Cream the butter until it’s light and fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing,
stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as
needed. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
 Add the flour mixture by halves, beating to
incorporate after each addition.

2. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface
and form it into a disk with your hands. Split
the disk in half and place them in the fridge
 to firm up for 1 hour.

Tip:

If you’re short
on time, do 25
 minutes in the
 freezer instead.

3. Working on a floured surface (you’ll need
 a decent amount, since the dough is sticky),
roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Shape the
cookies using a 1-1/2-inch round cutter and
place them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.
 Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, then let cool
completely.

4. Break up the chocolate into a bowl and set it
 over a small pot of simmering water (make sure
 the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Add the butter
 and the peppermint flavor and stir the mixture
 steadily until it’s fully melted and looks glossy and
smooth. Remove the bowl and let the chocolate
cool slightly.

5. One by one, drop the cookies in the chocolate,
 then scoop them out with a fork to let the excess
drip off. (Tap the cookies against the side of the
bowl to help drain the extra chocolate.) Move
them carefully to a wire rack or parchment-paper lined
baking sheet. When they’re all coated, move
the sheet to the refrigerator or freezer to set.

Mint thins, meet chocolate chip
 cookie dough. You’re a match made
 in heaven.

Mint-Thin-Stuffed Cookies

Prepare a batch of the mint thins
 and store them in the freezer. Then
prepare a batch of the chocolate
 chip dough on page 43. When both
 are chilled, sandwich the mint cookie
between 1 tablespoon each of the
chocolate chip dough, then press the
dough around the mint thin to cover
it completely. Bake according to the
chocolate chip directions.

Run out and get the book :$18.95 from Quirk Books, ISBN #978-1-59474-535-5 wherever great cookbooks are sold. 🙂  BTW check out lots of other great books from Quirk Books here.

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