These dense, moist (sorry, but seriously!) banana bread bars are so filling and delicious you’ll never know they’re only 112 calories per bar! 
I have this horrible habit of buying too many bananas thinking their lifespan is about 5 times longer than it really is. And I label this a habit because it happens every single time I buy bananas. Every. Time.
So each week my bananas rot away to black, grimy, nothingness in the corner of my kitchen and every week I say “I’ll make banana bread with those. Oooh or maybe blueberry banana muffins.” And then I don’t. And then I throw them away and think to myself “Caitlin, seriously….buy less bananas.” This cycle repeats itself weekly because I am constantly ignoring my inner monologue.
However, this past week, I did the thing! I found this recipe from Weight Watchers for this banana snack bread and turned my grimy, black bananas into these delicious and super moist bars! (Side note: I make no apologies for using the word “moist” in this situation. Try them for yourself and you’ll understand my need to use it!)
BANANA BREAD BARS
112 calories per bar
To save some calories and smart points, I altered the original recipe for these banana bread bars by leaving out walnuts and powdered sugar and cutting the bars into 16 instead of 9. And don’t worry that they look small! One little square is actually really filling because they are so dense, and if you happen to want two you won’t feel guilty 🙂
To start this recipe, mash 4 bananas with a fork into a large mixing bowl. Add in 1 C of plain, fat-free yogurt, 4 Tbsp unpacked brown sugar, 3 Tbsp softened, unsalted butter, 1 egg and 2 tsp of vanilla. Whisk until all of the ingredients are fully blended.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 C flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Slowly add the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spray an 8×8 glass pan with cooking spray and toss some white sugar around to fully coat the bottom and sides. Pour your mixture into the pan and bake at 375 for 25 minutes, or until slightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool completely then enjoy! You can store these in an airtight container for up to 3 days!
If you’re also a banana hoarder, you might want to save these other recipes in case you need a new way to use them up!
Skinny Blueberry Banana Muffins
Dairy-Free Guilt-Free Ice Cream
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Banana Bread Bars
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
These dense, moist (sorry, but seriously!) banana bread bars are so filling and delicious you’ll never know they’re only 112 calories per bar!
Ingredients
- 4 ripe bananas (the riper the better!)
- 1 C of plain, fat-free yogurt
- 4 Tbsp of unpacked brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 C flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- White sugar, to coat bottom and sides of pan
Instructions
- Mash 4 ripe bananas with a fork into a large mixing bowl. Add in 1 C plan, fat-free yogurt, 4 Tbsp unpacked brown sugar, 3 Tbsp softened, unsalted butter, 1 egg and 2 tsp vanilla. Whisk until all of the ingredients are fully blended.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 C flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Slowly add the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Spray an 8×8 glass pan with cooking spray and toss some white sugar around to fully coat the bottom and sides. Pour your mixture into the pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until slightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely then enjoy!
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Keywords: low calorie banana bread, healthy snack, kid-friendly baking, breakfast bread
**Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers
What do you think? Did this recipe make the cut for you or did it crumble? What would you do differently? Leave me a comment below! 🙂
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