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The Melting Pot
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1946-present - American potluck bakers using overripe bananas
Moist banana bars baked in a sheet pan and topped with cream cheese frosting, made for church basements, lunchrooms, and family potlucks.
Difficulty
Easy
Prep time
20 minutes
Cook time
25 minutes
Total time
45 minutes plus cooling
Servings
24 bars
Region
American potluck and church supper tables
Era introduced
1946-present
Introduced by
American potluck bakers using overripe bananas
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Banana bars are banana bread's sheet-pan cousin: softer, sweeter, easier to cut for a crowd, and often finished with cream cheese frosting. They belong to the practical American potluck tradition that prizes a 9-by-13 pan, ripe bananas that need using, and a dessert that travels well. This recipe keeps the bars cakey and tender rather than dense.
Drafted with banana-bar recipe structure from Taste of Home (https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/banana-bars-with-cream-cheese-frosting/), potluck-style banana bar references from The Girl Who Ate Everything (https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/monkey-squares/), and banana bread history context from King Arthur Baking (https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2017/02/23/short-history-of-banana-bread).
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