Banana Split Brownie Bars
Homemade brownies topped with a creamy vanilla pudding and my personal favorite - cool whip. These Banana Split Brownie Bars are always going to be a hit!
Servings: 12 bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 (4-oz) bar bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 (3.4-oz) box strawberry creme instant pudding mix
- 2 cups cold whole milk
- Pink gel food coloring (optional)
- 1 (8-oz) container cool whip thawed
- Sliced bananas (optional)
- Maraschino cherries (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on each side.
- Place butter in a medium bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until fully melted. Add the chocolate to the bowl and let stand 3 minutes. Whisk until smooth.
- Meanwhile, add eggs and brown sugar to a separate large bowl. Whisk vigorously for at least 3 minutes or until the sugar granules have dissolved completely. You can test this by dipping your finger into the mixture and rubbing it between 2 fingers. You shouldn't feel any sugar granules. The longer you whisk, the more sugar will dissolve.
- Whisk in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt.
- Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Fold in the flour until no streaks remain. Fold in the walnuts.
- Transfer batter to prepared baking pan, and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately bang the pan against the countertop a few times (I place a pot holder on the counter when I do this).
- Allow the brownies to cool to room temperature, about 90 minutes to 2 hours. The brownies will be ready to slice when you can easily lift them from the pan using the parchment paper overhang and they remain quite firm in the middle (don't bend too much).
- While the brownies cool, whisk the instant pudding mix and milk vigorously in a large bowl for 2 minutes. Add a couple drops of pink food coloring, if desired, to make the pudding extra pink. Place in the refrigerator until brownies have cooled completely.
- Spread pudding over brownies in a thin, even layer. Evenly spread cool whip over pudding layer. Chill brownie bars for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Slice bars, and top each with banana slices and maraschino cherries.
Notes
If you don't have time to make your own brownies, feel free to use brownie mix instead. Then follow the directions as stated above.