Roasted Banana Brownies
Rich, gooey brownies with a crackly top…studded with buttery pecans AND moist roasted bananas. This is one of the best desserts I make! The recipe for the brownie base is one I’ve been making for more than 10 years. I’ve never made another brownie that I prefer, and this one is a hit every time! Recently, I decided to try putting roasted bananas in the mix for something a little different, and boy did it turn out fantastically!
Note: If you want to skip the bananas and just make these EPIC brownies, you can, but I would use a slightly smaller pan otherwise it would be too thin.
INGREDIENTS
Makes one 8″ x 12″ pan
- 4 bananas, yellow with still a hint of green, sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
- 2 Tbsp butter, unsalted, melted
- 45 g (⅓ cup) all-purpose flour
- 30 g (⅓ cup) cocoa powder
- 300 g (1 ½ cup) sugar
- ¼ + ⅛ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (85g) toasted pecans, roughly chopped
- 190 g dark chocolate
- 190 g butter, unsalted
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 1-2 extra bananas for garnish, if desired.
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven broiler on high.
Line an 8″x12″ shallow pan (aka a “quarter sheet pan”) with parchment paper, making sure the paper is only covering only the bottom and is not sticking up the sides (or it might burn). then arrange the banana slices on it, as tightly as you can, until you completely fill the pan. Brush the top of the bananas with melted butter (don’t throw away any leftover butter yet), then broil for about 5 minutes until the bananas are browned on top.
If you want to garnish the top of brownies with bananas (like in my thumbnail photo), broil 1-2 extra bananas on another greased baking sheet (no lining needed).
Once you remove the bananas, turn off the broiler and then preheat the oven to bake at 375°F (190°C).
Slide out the parchment with the bananas on it and let cool. Re-line the pan with parchment paper, this time making sure there is extra paper hanging off the sides which will help you remove the brownies from the pan. Brush the top of the parchment with the remaining melted butter.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and nuts; whisk until well mixed.
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and add it to the flour mixture WITHOUT stirring, just let it sit on top.
Beat together eggs and vanilla just until combined.
Melt butter in a pot over very low heat just until it’s melted, don’t let it get any hotter than it needs to be to melt, then immediately remove from heat.
Pour the warm butter right over the chocolate, then pour the egg mixture right over top. Stir with a rubber spatula until well combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. The heat of the butter will melt the chocolate, but it may leave some in chunks, and that’s good!
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out. Flip the roasted bananas right onto the brownie batter, then gently peel off the parchment. Spread the remaining batter on top of the bananas and cover them completely. When you divide the batter, err on the side of putting less batter on the bottom, so you won’t have problems covering the bananas later.
Bake for 45 minutes, and the edges will become crisp and a bit cookie-like. Let cool on a rack completely for 2 hours before cutting.
Roasted Banana Brownies