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Chocolate Banana Bread Test
Why I love this recipe & you will too –
These carmelita cookie bars are soft, gooey, and incredibly delicious. Layered with a sweet brown sugar oatmeal crust and a decadent caramel sauce. It’s a crime how addictive these are.
Whenever I make these for a gathering, they tend to go quickly! These Carmelita Cookie Bars are rich and incredibly decadent. You will want to savor every bite.
They require a bit of effort and need some cooling time, but it’s worth it. I will bake these carmelita cookie bars the night before an event to ensure they have the perfect texture before serving. They are delicious by themselves, or they pair well with ice cream, it’s up to you on how you want to enjoy these!
Tips for making Chocolate Banana Bread Test
- Be sure to mix flour into the caramel sauce. This will help your bars maintain their shape nicely and prevent the caramel sauce from oozing everywhere.
- Ensure your butter is softened but not melted. You will want the room-temperature butter to help hold the crust’s shape well.
Tools you may need
- 9×13” Baking Dish
- Stand Mixer
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Quick Rolled Oats
Brown Sugar
Baking Soda
Sea Salt
Butter
Jar of Caramel Ice Cream Topping – I love picking one up at Trader Joe’s if I dont have time to make it from scratch.
Chocolate Chips
How to make Chocolate Banana Bread Test
To make these Oatmeal Carmelita Bars, preheat your oven to 350°F and grease your 9×13” baking dish.
Pull out your stand mixer and add in flour, oats, softened butter, brown sugar, baking soda, and a pinch of sea salt. Mix these ingredients on a low speed until they come together to make a nice crumble texture.
Next, reserve about 3 cups of the mixture to be used as a crumble later on.
Take the remaining crust and pour it into your baking dish. Gently push it down with a wooden spoon. Once set in the pan, place the crust in the oven and bake it partially for 10 minutes.
Next step …
Next, reserve about 3 cups of the mixture to be used as a crumble later on.
Take the remaining crust and pour it into your baking dish. Gently push it down with a wooden spoon. Once set in the pan, place the crust in the oven and bake it partially for 10 minutes.
By this time, your 10-minute timer should be done. Once the cookie bar crust is out of the oven and nice and warm, sprinkle about half of the chocolate chips over the crust and then drizzle the caramel sauce evenly over the top.
Lastly, gently sprinkle the remaining crumb topping over the caramel sauce. Place it back in the oven to bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the top begins to brown. Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool for about 1 hour before cutting. Serve up and enjoy, topped with ice cream!
Chocolate Banana Bread
Equipment
- Glass Loaf Pan
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden Spoon
- Spatula
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Small Pot (to melt butter or coconut oil)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 Cup Coconut Oil (Melted)
- 1/4 Cup Butter (Melted)
- 3 Large Bananas (Brown)
- 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar (Packed)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and sea salt in a bowl.1 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder, 1 tsp Baking Soda, 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- Melt butter and coconut oil in a pot on medium heat. Once melted, remove from heat immediately and set aside.1/4 Cup Coconut Oil, 1/4 Cup Butter
- In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Add the melted butter and coconut oil and stir until combined. Stir in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.3 Large Bananas, 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, 1 Egg, 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients in small increments. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in ¾ cups of chocolate chips into the batter1 Cup Chocolate Chips
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup (or more if desired) of chocolate chips over the top of the bread. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
Notes
- I recommend using a glass loaf pan. Dark-colored pans cook your baked goods too fast, increasing the risk of burning.
- When melting your coconut oil and butter, don’t let them sit on the burner and get too hot. Accidents do happen, and things get forgotten about. If they get too bubbly, just set them aside to cool down.
- Your toothpick might have some melted chocolate on it, and that’s okay. You’ll want to avoid having uncooked batter on your toothpick. Check your chocolate banana bread at 50 minutes, just to be safe. Oven times may vary.