Banana Rum Bars with Brown Butter Rum Crème Frosting

So if your house is like mine, you’ll inevitably end up with at least 2-3 bananas that are past it’s prime almost on a weekly basis.  And if you’re like me, there is only so much banana bread, muffins, pies, and so forth that you can make before you honestly get sick of it.  And trust me folks, my banana bread, and banana muffins are 2 things I never EVER want to grow sick of because they are the bomb!

As I was standing in my kitchen Saturday making Italian Gravy those beautiful dark brown bananas were staring at me; begging me to be made into someone amazing. The thing is, I was stumped on what to make.  As I kind of stood there and stared at my counters, I spied the bottle of tequila that I forgot to put away from when I made those Margarita Chicken Meatballs, that kind of made me think about making something ‘boozy’ with the bananas.

Now I’ve not tried tequila with bananas but at the time that didn’t sound too good BUT I do know that rum goes very well with bananas.  Now what’s odd is that I really don’t care for rum at all.  Like you would never EVER catch me ordering a rum ‘n Coke or anything like that.  However, when you bake with it, it adds such a unique flavor depth to the dish.

Being fully transparent, you have to like rum to really love this dish. However, you can forgo the actual rum and use butter rum extract in its place.  Just cut it way down on how much extract you put in.

So last night my girlfriend came over to hang out (side note… she actually sent me a text on the way to my house “Um, do you have any food???” – Um, huh?  Do I have any food??  Seriously, did she not know who she just asked???  LOL  So I responded with “Um I always have food… duh!”  To which she gave me one of the best responses… “Um, can I have some then?”)  

 I so love my friends!  Anyway, after having dinner I forced her (well okay, I didn’t quite have to twist her arm too hard) to try one of these.  I thought it had a bit too much rum in it, but she loved them.  Said the rum level was perfect.  So I would say if you’re on the fence with rum, don’t use all of the amount required.  If you’re a rum lover, use the full amount stated.

So yeah.. these gorgeous beauties and that Jamaican Rum made some kickin’ Banana Rum Bars!

Banana Rum Bars with Brown Butter Rum Crème Frosting

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• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 2 sticks (16 Tablespoons) of butter, unsalted and softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of butter, unsalted and softened
• 2 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 extra large eggs
• 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 2–3 Tbl rum  (you can use just 1 if you don’t want it real ‘rummy’ tasting)
• 1 tsp pralines ‘n cream extract or vanilla bean extract
• 2 1/4 cups flour

Brown Sugar Rum Crème Frosting

• 1 stick, 8 Tablespoons, unsalted butter, browned and cooled (I recommend using Plugra or a European butter)
• 8 ounces softened mascarpone
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp rum
• 2–4 Tbl Heavy Cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean extract
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 13×9” pan with foil leaving a 1” rim above (this will help with removing it from the pan later).

Assemble the crust:

1. In a bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on high for a minute or until light and fluffy.
2. Add in the sugar and vanilla. Beat until well combined, scraping the bowl down occasionally.
3. Add in the flour, cinnamon, and salt just until combined. The mixture will be crumbly.
4. Dump the mixture into the ungreased pan and press down evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a light brown. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool while you make the filing.

Make the filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium for a minute. Add in the brown sugar, baking soda, and salt and beat until well combined, scraping the bowl occasionally. Add in the eggs, bananas, rum, and extract; mix well.
2. Add in the flour and mix just until combined. Remove from the mixer attachment and finish mixing the rest with a spoon. Don’t overbeat, just mix until it’s combined. Spread over the crust and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center comes out clean with tested with a wooden skewer. Cool on a wire rack until completely cooled.

Make the frosting:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, add the browned butter, mascarpone, and cream cheese. Beat on high for 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
2. Add in confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time mixing on low. Once all the sugar is in, add in the rum and extract and mix well. Add in the heavy cream to thin it out just slightly to make it more of a spreadable consistency.

Assemble

1. When the bars are cooled completely, grab the foil and lift the entire dessert out.  Place on a serving platter and gently remove the foil. I was able to just tug it in half and pull both sides out.
2. Spread the frosting on top. If you have extra…BONUS! This frosting stores beautifully in the fridge.
3. Using a clean, sharp knife, cut into squares.

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