Cocoa Banana Bars

I make these all the time for Potluck...the only bad thing about them is keeping DH from devouring them all before-hand! I usually put the chocolate layer on top so I only have to use one bowl. I also sometimes add walnuts and/or chocolate chips. Yummy!

This is a great recipe! Don't change anything! Too many people add and/or change recipes - this is great as shown!!

Wow!!! This really is "the Best!" I followed the recipe with amazing results. The only minor problem I had was that the batter was slightly dry. I used two large bananas and I didn't really measure it out to 1 1/2 cups. Next time I would add 4 bananas to make it more moist. I had to add some milk to the cocoa mixture to thin it out, but otherwise it was fabulous.

These are great! I do agree with the others about not changing a thing. Also, I noticed that 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas is about 4-5 bananas. Mine were medium size. Please make sure you measure otherwise the bars will be dry.

I make this recipe into muffins because when I made it into bars the bars were too thin. I pour them half and half like one of the pictures you see in the recipe album. They're very delicious. My girlfriend says out of all the muffins I make that these are the best. I always give these away too so we don't eat the whole batch. FIVE STARS!!!!!

This recipe makes a delicious chocolate flavored banana cake. If you are expecting a bar cookie, or chewy brownie type..this recipe won't cut it. That being said, these are very good. I was a little worried about dryness as mentioned by several others so I used almost a full 2 cups of banana...perfect...very moist and the banana flavor comes through nicely. I though they could use a little something on the top. I made a peanut butter glaze (from this site) as suggested by another reviewer and just drizzled that over the top. With that addition, this recipe was 5 stars! Perhaps just a sifting of confectioner's sugar would be enough, but how can one go wrong with banana, chocolate and peanut butter all in one bite!

These are excellent! I cut the recipe in half and baked it in a pie pan. The only other changes I made were substituting rum flavor for the vanilla (out of vanilla) and adding a bit extra banana. The bananas I mashed came out to 1/4 cup more than called for, but I threw it all in anyway. It came out very moist and flavorful! Definitely a keeper recipe. The best part was that I already had the ingredients. What a great way to use those extra bananas!

These were a hit, I would make them again, but with chocolate chips in the light batter

I asked my Husband if he liked it, he said, "give this to noone and make more", I think that is a YES! The only thing I did different is use a smaller pan.

I am so glad to see others saying review the recipe as written...if you want to change it until it is hardly recognizable then submit a new recipe!!!

i needed to bake something for my dads birthday.so, before i just handed it over i needed a "tester". not only did my tester enjoy every bite, but i had to "block out" the space around it cuz he wanted more! it was, past tense, delicious. thank you.

Very good and very easy...like a lite banana bread. Saw the recipe and made them the same day. 3 bananas was perfect. Use very ripe bananas. The more ripe the bananas the sweeter the bars..and more Banana flavor. Very yummy!

Heavenly! A perfect blending of chocolate and banana. I agree about not changing a recipe, but I didn't have the exact ingredients needed; so I did have to improvise. I only had Hershey's Special Dark cocoa, so I added 1/4 cup sugar to my dark cocoa and batter. My 13 x 9 pan was in the dishwasher, so I made cupcakes instead and they baked for 25 minutes. The only reason they lasted 5 hours is because we weren't home to eat them!

Easy, moist, great presentation. I had 4 average-sized overripe bananas and just used all of those without measuring. It really is a cake - only bars if you happen to cut into bar shapes. The "chocolate factor" isn't quite pronounced enough, in my opinion. I think I'll try it again with some mini chocolate chips in the cocoa portion. Very enjoyable, though, and I will make them again.

I didn't go by all of the recipe directions. I tried to use less dishes and poured the plain banana batter in first and add the cocoa batter after, which worked okay and tastes great, but I wish I had put the cocoa batter in first as it is a LOT thicker and would be easier to spread the plain batter on top of it... and it's not thin enough to drizzle. I am thinking of adding oatmeal to the recipe next time between the cocoa layer and plain layer... I will add in a 2nd review when I try that!!! Otherwise, I say try it!!!

I made these exactly as instructed and took them to a potluck. They were a hit-everyone was raving and i came home with an empty pan! The swirl/marble design instructions didn't work for me at all though. it would have looked much better spooning the white batter onto the top in circles and then drawing a knife though the circles onto of the chocolate batter.

Really really good. I made it as described and it wasn't enough batter to get much of a uniformly marbleized look but it did puff up and really fill the 9x13 pan. I used 4 very ripe bananas, needing to use them up, and I may have used a little extra cocoa. The flavors are definitely strong. I wasn't sure about the amount of sugar because my bananas were so ripe, but the unsweetened cocoa really balances it out. However, I think the recipe is only going to hit 5 stars (for me) with the addition of some nuts or chocolate chips, to change up the texture in each bite.

Love me some banana and chocolate! Perfect little cupcakes (or in my dad's case, ginormous muffins). Flavor wise they were pretty good. For some reason mine wasn't as moist as other reviewers said, I probably should take out faster because they were in cupcake cups.

I was wanting a recipe other than banana bread or muffins to use up three very ripe bananas. I can't say these are really "bars" per se, they were more like a snacking cake. If you are looking for something like brownies, this isn't it. I like the banana and chocolate combination. I doubt that I would make these again.

This recipe should be called a cake rather than a bar. It is very tasty. I ended up adding a tiny splash of milk to the batter at the end and it turned out excellent. My husband ate half of it in one sitting.

These bars were excellent! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. The cake was actually pretty light and fluffy, it was a lot lighter than other banana cake recipes that I have tried. I also sprinkled the top with chocolate chips. Thanks for the great recipe, yummy!

Kids say it's a keeper and I agree!

Instead of cocoa I used mini chocolate chips. This was a BIG HIT. I also added just about a 1/2 tbs of maple syrup & used whole wheat flour...

I swapped applesauce for half the butter, used white whole wheat flour for the flour, made them as cupcakes, and they were delicious!!

Tasty and relatively easy. Whenever I have bananas that are a little past their prime, I put them in the freezer and then thaw them when I have enough to bake with. Easier than mashing bananas that aren't ready for baking.

Added walnuts. Good flavor. Good texture. My personal preference is not to mix chocolate and banana. I like both flavors but on their own.

My father in law always asks me to make these. They are so moist and yummy. More like a chocolate banana cake than a bar, though. Really yummy desert and very easy to make.

This is so good, it makes all the other banana breads look bad.

Great recipe, however, I expected the chocolate batter to be chocolatier. I think next time I will add chocolate chunks.

Very similar to my banana cake recipe, but I was hoping for a stronger chocolate flavor. Will add chocolate chips next time to achieve that. Otherwise, very tasty and very pretty, easy to cut into bars.

The kids give their thumbs up! The pan got finished off before I could get a picture to post but they turned out great. I followed the recipe to the letter, using 3 pretty good sized bananas, per the reviews. Great recipe.

These were pretty good. Only changes made were I used sugar substitute, and I didn't think there was anyway the batter would stretch into a 9x13 pan, so I used a 7x11 pan, and that was perfect, still baking for only 25 mins.

These were outstanding. Made exactly as instructed, only I added a bag of chocolate chips (1/2 bag to each layer). I had to bake mine about 10 minutes longer than instructed (used 9x13 glass pan), but that might be b/c I had more banana? I used 4 small bananas, and didn't measure them after mashed...

Very moist, and easy to prepare. I would call this a cake, not a bar (which I would consider much more dense). I also found it a little bit too sweet. I would cut back on the sugar a little next time. Overall, a nice 'snack cake'.

This is my son's favorite treat! I scoop out the "white" half of the mixture and drop it in the pan the add in the cocoa so I only dirty one bowl. I always sprinkle some chocolate chips on top before baking for an extra chocolate kick. BTW it never looks like enough to fill the pan but don't worry it comes out puffed up with a nice most cake texture. I have also added double the cocoa to the whole mixture and made them into chocolate muffins with chips on top again with great success.

Yum! The banana and the butter really stand out -- and the chocolate just makes it perfect. I did some minor changes: used 1/2 cp of wheat graham flour in lieu of all white and used 2/3 of brown sugar instead of the cup of all-white. Following another reviewer, I put the banana batter in the pan first, then mixed in the cocoa and added 1/4 cp of mini chips. I plan on wrapping the squares and freezing them to add to the kids lunchboxes (If we don't eat it all first!)

We really liked the flavor of this recipe, very full of banana! But even with cutting back the sugar it was still a bit sweet. These will make a perfect after school snack for the kids, though, and I'm sure we'll be making these again and again. A nice alternative to our other favorite... banana bread! Thanks for a tasty treat!

These were really tasty, but more cake-like than I thought they'd be. I guess because they're called bars, I expected them to be denser and moister, more like a brownie consistency. I sprinkled the top with walnuts which complimented the chocolate-banana flavor and added a little crunch. I could see making these in a cupcake pan and passing them off as muffins--they'd be delicious with a cup of coffee in the morning.

Nice, moist, bread and a good way to use up spotty bananas. I made exactly as written; only I baked in mini muffin pans rather than a cake pan. I got 60 minis out of this recipe. I baked for about 12 minutes. Thanks Lisa for sharing your recipe.

I added the chocolate part to the top and mixed in a 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips. I was OK, and not too sweet.

These are very good, cake like bars. For those who think the pan size is too large these bars rise and spread so stay with the larger pan. I also baked mine for 20 minutes and that was perfect. I made one change with the ingredients, I used 3/4 cups sugar instead of 1 cup.

I made these as birthday cupcakes and they were a hit even without icing! I ran out of sugar, so my final amount was more like 3/4 c. vs. 1 c. They were still plenty sweet.

I have made this recipe as several times..it is wonderful, worth 5 stars. One day I intended to make this recipe as is; however, when I measured my banana, I only has a little over a cup. I searched my kitchen for something to add moisture, and found some cream of coconut. I added 3/4 cup to the bananas. Awesome!!!!!! Don't know if I would say they were better, but they were just as good. Just a little something extra.

great - just expect more of a moist cake than a 'bar'.

Very moist and yummy.

I have made this twice now, Great both times. Great just the way it is. I did use 5 bananas.

very moist and tasty, not very chocolate-y but a nice change

I added 3T mayo to the cocoa portion, decreased the sugar to 2/3 C, added chocolate chips to the top portion, and sprinkled generously with cinnamon/sugar mixture before baking (I add this step to every banana bread recipe I try....it is delicious). These are a great alternative to banana bread. This recipe is also listed on Taste of Home's website under Black Bottom Banana Bars and a reviewer mentioned the 3T of mayo...definitely ups the moisture. I also baked it in an 11 x 7 pan for approx 40 minutes.

Made this recipe exactly as is and it was delicous. It really is more of a cake than a bar though so if you are looking for something more dense, this is not the recipe for you. I topped it off with "Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting" from here and it was so yummy! My hubby can't get enough :D Just wanted to add that it is very moist. Three days later and it is just as moist as the night I made them! If you are finding this recipe is turning out dry for you then you are not measuring out your mashed banana. I used 4 medium sized bananas and it came out perfect. I think I'm going to make these as cupcakes next time. They should do very well that way. :)

If I could give this recipe 10 stars I would. This is by far the BEST banana bread/cake recipe I have used in the last 20 years! I will not be using any other again. Dont make any changes and like other reviewers have stated measure your bananas - I used 3 med and 1 large banana for this recfipe. Thank you so much for sharing, Lisa!

Very moist and yummy. I added chocolate chips to top of batter half way through baking time. Used white whole-wheat flour.

I loveddd these! I made them as muffins. Great! I cooked a dozen for 11 minutes. It coulda cooked for a little longer though. Other than that I didn't change a thing.

Subbed caramel extract for vanilla to liven the flavor up, but these were still somewhat bland (like a cake without icing). Batter was thick & thus didn't "marbleize" very easily....was hoping the appearance would make up for the lack of flavor. Would recommend drizzling with caramel sauce or adding chocolate chips to chocolate layer. Probably better to get rid of your bananas by making muffins or bread... UPDATE: Made a caramel sauce & drizzled over top. This modification added a touch of sweetness/flavor & visual interest that made it worthy of 4 stars (in my humble opinion).

Chocolate and banana are always a good combination, and the fact that this isn't very high cal makes it even better. Not too rich or sweet, but very moist.

An excellent and tasty way to use extra bananas, resembling a sort-of banana chocolate brownie. The only change I make is taking the sugar down to 2/3 cups because ripened bananas are pretty sweet. It is essential to measure the amount of mashed bananas - don't guess or they'll be dry. This recipe has made it into my dessert/snack rotation. Try it!

Yummy, very moist. If you don't have enough bananas you can substitute with applesauce if you've got it on hand. When dividing the mix you'll be removing about 2.5 cups as the total mixture is about 5 cups (although I used just under of 2 cups of banana/applesauce mix to get this amount). The texture of it is not like a typical "Bar" it's more like a moist cake, so baking it in a loaf pan, cake pan or muffin pan is a great idea. You could ice it as well & I'm sure that would be tasty - I think chocolate or cream cheese icing would be good for this recipe. Thank you Lisa for this recipe, it's a "Do Over" for me.

Aw, I was sort of disappointed since I was expecting more of a "bar" or brownie-like texture. It turned out more like a cake. The flavor was pretty good, though I would have liked more of a chocolate flavor. Next time what I think I will do is add another banana, more cocoa, another egg, and less baking soda and powder.

so good! like some others have said, don't change a thing. these are perfect the way they are!

I made this as cupcakes. I used an ice cream scoop and scooped half in chocolate and half in the traditional batter. The topping was sprinkle of chocolate chips which I pushed down into the batter with a knife. Everybody loved them!

These were pretty good. I thought they would be more like a brownie but they were more cakelike. The chocolate batter was hard to spread. I probably won't make these again because I would just make my banana cake recipe which is easier.

These are wonderful and I am definitely not a big banana fan (I love banana bread but I don't like eating just plain old bananas). This is probably the first recipe I followed to a T in a verrry long time since all of the top reviews advised changing nothing and offered no alteration suggestions (you never see this on allrecipes!). The texture was much more cakelike than I had expected and the batter rose up in the pan quite a bit, so that was a pleasant surprise. Next time though, I want to add chocolate chips to the batter to give it a little more chocolate "umph" :)

Very tasty. Mine came out more like a cake than a treat that I could cut into bars. I love having another option to use my over ripe bananas.

Awsome, quick, and easy! This recipie is great by itself but i changed it a bit to cut back on a few calories. I used half sugar and half artificial sweetener. I also used 1 cup of all purpose flour and half a cup of whole wheat flour. I also used light margarine instead of butter. I was pleasantly surprized at how well they turned out. The whole wheat flour made them really chewy like brownies, whick I like better!

These are blah. The cocoa layer is not distinctive enough to differentiate between the two flavors. You would be better off making it without the cocoa and adding it adding it to the top of your favorite brownie recipe and cooking them together.

Very good recipe! I doubled it since I had so many bananas and it just took a little longer to bake because I had more batter. It's a good alternative to the banana bread I usually make with over-ripe bananas.

Just the perfect breakfast, snack and dessert! I really love how the banana flavour isn't hidden, it really stands out. I used whole wheat flour and margarine instead for chewier, healthy bite. I also used 3 large mashed bananas, which turned out great, but I just had to leave it in the oven longer.

This was just ok for me. My husband and son really didn't care for it. The good thing is that it does satisfy my sweet tooth for a lot less calories than the normal desserts that I crave! If I have any left over bananas I'll probably make it again.

Followed recipe as written except made into cupcakes. Delicious, moist, chocolate-banana flavor. Will not change a thing and will make these again very soon. We dipped the cupcakes in "Pro Ganache" and then drizzled with "Peanut Butter Glaze" both from this site. Everyone, from toddlers to grandparents loved these. Thanks for sharing!

Wonderful, and oh-so-addictive! I made them exactly as the recipe stated, but added handfuls of chopped walnuts and white chocolate chips. The bars are light and fluffy: more cake-like than cookie-like, so you almost need a fork to eat them, but they're absolutely delicious.

I wasn't exactly turned off by these... but I was't overly excited about them, either. A little bland flavour- neither the banana or the chocolate really came through. I don't think I'll make them again.

These are wonderful. I used whole wheat flour and replaced half the butter with applesauce to make them a little healthier. I needed 5 small bananas to get 1.5 cups, so maybe those who found the batter dry didn't use enough? Once the bars cooled I also added a chocolate glaze, but they would have been fine without it.

These left a weird after taste in your mouth. The banana portion without the cocoa taseted good but the portion with the cocoa did not.

I added two handfuls of chocolate chips, and I liked the contrast. The flavor was good, but I would like this to be more dense like a brownie. Be careful though ... these are light enough that they're addictive! Good for using up a few bananas that were going bad.

so yummy! I like many others was looking for something other than banana bread to use up my bananas. I did what another reviewer did, added the plain batter to the pan first(then threw on some choc chips) and then put the coco batter on top. I had 3 very ripe banans and baked it for 25 min. I couldnt wait for them to cool, I was cutting them when they were still warm. I might sprinkle some powder sugar on them. This will be my go to recipe to use up bananas from now on!

A bit too sweet, and definitely should be called cake instead of bars. Ok, but I won't make again.

Absolutely delicious! These taste great and are simple to make! I followed the recipe exactly and think it's simply wonderful! The bars are easy to cut, which is a bonus. I drizzled melted chocolate over the top to make them look a bit fancier.

Delicious cake. I halved the recipe and baked in an 8X8 for 25 min. I also used dutch processed cocoa that I mixed with a little bit of hot water to help it mix easier and to enhance the flavor. Will definitely make again

Just made these and they're great! I did make one change and that was to sprinkle some chocolate chunks in between the dark and light layers and then a few more on the top. Delicious! More of a cakey texture than a bar texture, which was a surprise. But very moist. Will definitely make these again!

These are excellent! I made them into mini loaves and served vanilla ice cream in the middle. A keeper. Thank you!

Very good, the thing I liked is I had all the ingredients on hand and that is always a good thing. This was very easy to make and very tasty. I made the mistake of not measuring the bananas, I used 2 medium sized and it looked like a cup and a half but it must not have been so my bars turned out a little dry. I blame myself for that. Next time I will add a little more banana. Very creative idea - will make again!

My new goto recipe for when the bananas are getting a little overripe.

Great recipe! Definitely a moist cake, not a bar, but nobody's complaining here :) I added mini chocolate chips to the banana batter and baked it in a bundt pan for about 30 minutes....then flipped it onto a plate and sprinkled with powdered sugar -- SO GOOD! Thanks for posting this easy and somewhat healthy (no oil!) dessert!

I made a 1/2 recipe of these, but used the whole egg. I also used whole wheat flour (1 cup instead of 3/4 c) and added 1/3 c applesauce and only used 1/2 the butter. We enjoyed them. I think next time I'll add some chocolate chips too.

After reading the reviews I knew to expect a cake-like dessert and not the bars you'd expect from the title. I was cool with that. It was good, but not phenomenal. I did substitute splenda for the sugar (diabetic husband), otherwise I followed the recipe as written. The cake was nice and moist and the banana part was very good. The chocolate part was just ok. It tasted best warmed up with chocolate syrup drizzled over it. Again, it's not a bad dessert at all - I happily ate it over the course of a couple days along with everyone else in the house. It's just not something I can see myself going out of my way to make again.

These came out delicious- and I followed the recipe exactly. I might add chocolate chips next time to make it a little sweeter, but I have a sweet tooth. My friends who don't have as big of a sweet tooth loved these as-is!

This is most definately a cake. I think they call them bars because they come out thinner. Otherwise this recipe is really good. Cake was moist. The recipe calls for dividing the batter in two and adding cocoa to half, however because there isn't that much batter it was almost impossible to do two layers because it is to thick to spead thinnly. If I make this again I will do it in a 9x9 pan or make 1 1/2 times the recipe to fill a 9x13 pan to make it into a cake since that is what it is.

I had trouble swirling the batter, but other than that the recipe was great. Everyone loved the moist, light texture. Thanks!

YUM. Pretty easy and trooooooly tasty. Was more cake-like than a cookie-bar... From now on-this is my household recipe for what to do with old bananas!!

These are great- SO moist and not overly sweet- I followed the recipe exactly, except I cooked them in a muffin tray, and they turned out perfectly- we already ate them all! yum!

This recipe is absolutely perfect for those weeks where you buy too many bananas. You'll very likely have all ingredients on hand, it's incredibly simple to make, and cleans up easily. My batter turned out to be the right consistency using the exact recipe. You can also make the marbling as fussy as you like! I served it on dessert plates decorated with chocolate syrup and raspberries and slices of frozen banana. A delicious dessert or snack!

No modifications the receipe. Turned out great, very moist. More cake like as other reviewers said, but I am not complaining :).

Slightly more crumbly than desired. Very cake-like.

Awesome! Very cake like. If it lasts overnight the flavor is better. Will definately make again!!! Thanks for posting.

I don't even like banana cake---- but I couldn't stop eating this! I added about 1/4 cup more banana and used almond extract instead of vanilla. I also added a sugar glaze to the top. AMAZING!

It tastes great, but it's nothing fantastic. Next time I make this, however, I will be making it as a cake with chocolate icing instead of just squares. I have a great banana cake recipe I used at my son's birthday, and next to that, this does not seem that great. Nothing I would change, though, so still an awesome recipe!

I cut this in half, and doubled the bananas, and added just a little extra flour. I also put drizzled peanut butter chocolate frosting with marshmallows over it. Yum. :)

verrrry good. I think next time i will add a little less sugar. I also chopped some honey roasted peanuts i had and sprinkled them over half.....it was a nice touch.

Yummy! I made Cocoa Banana Muffins (cook time: 15 mins)and they were great.

Followed the recipe as written but used extra banana (5 large ones, equalling about 2 cups). It was not quite ready after 25 minutes but was perfect around 29-30. Next time I will swirl with a knife rather than a spatula. Huge hit with the adults and the kids.