So these Banana Chocolate Swirl Blondies were sort of an accident/experiment, and they turned out better than I expected. I made some “banana fudge cookies” that were supposed to be healthy – they were just almond butter, banana, and cocoa powder- and they were delicious. But not super satisfying as a dessert, you know? Like, a good snack, but not dessert enough. So I took that yumminess and added it to a trusted dessert: Joy’s Browned Butter Blondies. And let me tell you. That was a delicious decision.

The chocolate banana and browned butter combo is perfect- I rarely do chocolate banana baked goods, and I think I may start doing more. The brown butter was the perfect base, sort of like a cookie, with the fudgy baked banana chocolate swirled in. It was one of those moments when you take a bite and the flavors come together so perfectly, and you wonder why you didn’t bring them together sooner.

Bonus: these seem really complicated, but they are actually incredibly simple. You don’t even need a blender. Just a spoon and a bowl. You can whip up the batter in 30 minutes, and be sinking your teeth into a thick Banana Chocolate Swirl Blondie in an hour.

If you make these and really starting digging banan baked goods (like I did), I recommend these Chocolate Cupcakes with Banana filling and PB Frosting, or these Banana PB Chocolate Cupcakes (both good, just depends what kind of cake you want). Or if you want some banana-loaded breakfast, I recommend these Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins (from Baked bakery- SO good), or Maple Olive Oil Banana Bread– which was a surprisingly amazing combination.

So if you need some potassium in your life, but eating plain bananas makes you go like:

Then make these blondies instead!

-Audrey

Brown Butter Blondies with Banana Chocolate Swirl

Ingredients

For the Blondies

1 1/4 sticks (5 ounces) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg large yolk
1/4 cup almond butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For Banana Chocolate Swirl

3 medium, overripe bananas (approximately 1 cup or so)
1/2 cup smooth almond butter (can sub for any smooth nut butter)
2 T – 1/4 cup cocoa powder (more = richer taste)

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Instructions

For the Blondies

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan, line the pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper as well. This recipe can be easily doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch pan.
In a medium saucepan, cook the butter over moderate heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the melted butter to a large bowl. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before proceeding.
To the large bowl with the butter, add the sugar, eggs and yolk, almond butter, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Add the flour and baking powder and stir with a wooden spoon. The mixture will be thick.
For Banana Swirl: In a small microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, melt your nut butter. In a large mixing bowl, add the banana, nut butter and cocoa powder and mix very well.
Spread the blondie batter into the prepared baking pan. Swirl in the banana chocolate batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Insert a skewer in the center of the blondies to test the doneness. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before lifting from the pan and slicing.
Slice into 9 equal squares.

Notes

Blondie recipe adapted from Joy the Baker: http://joythebaker.com/2014/01/blonde-brownies-with-chocolate-chips-and-marcona-almonds/
Banana Swirl from The Big Man’s World: http://thebigmansworld.com/2015/10/05/healthy-3-ingredient-flourless-brownies/