Got overripe, brown bananas? Instead of making traditional banana bread (and there is nothing wrong with that!), consider these awesome Nutty Chocolate Chip Banana Squares, which are easy to whip up and taste fantastic – a bit addictive, in fact!

These are perfect for breakfast, dessert or even a midday snack. I use unsweetened applesauce to keep them moist, plus it cuts down on the calories instead of using oil. I love to bake these awesome squares in my Pampered Chef brownie pan, but if you don’t have the brownie pan, make muffins instead. In addition, I like to use my PC salad choppers to chop the walnuts – it takes no time at all to get the right consistency!

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3 extremely ripe bananas
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (not pictured)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray brownie pan with cooking spray. Peel bananas and mash them in a large bowl.

Add the egg, unsweetened applesauce, sugar and brown sugar, and mix well.

In a different bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the banana mixture and stir until blended.

Gently fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Fill each of the brownie wells with the batter.

Bake for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a square comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes or so, then remove to a wire rack.

These are so great while still warm. Serve them with a nice fruit salad and mimosas for a great breakfast or brunch, or warm with a scoop of ice cream for a yummy dessert!

You can reheat these in the microwave (30 seconds on high). They also freeze well, but if you have kids around, you won’t need to worry about that.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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