PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BARS

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BARS

Banana and peanut butter are great flavors together. I kept these in the freezer and brought a couple out for tea dates with my hubby now and then. Sorry they are gone! I used homemade ground almond in the bake mix, but almond flour would produce a finer texture.

Normally this type of recipe has oats in it, however, if you are using Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, there will be some oat flour in the recipe spread kindly over all the servings. Did you know oats although fairly high in carbs do reduce cholesterol.

You can add chocolate chips, but I did not want to interfere with the banana and peanut butter flavors. These bars make great snacks or even make a quick grab and go breakfast. These versatile bars can even fill in for dessert in a pinch. The texture is moist. If you like, you could add 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

This dessert is heavy in dairy so not for those who need to avoid it. Nowadays, I spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. The baked bars will remove more easily.

Remember to use ripe bananas for the best flavor. This is kind of like banana bread in bar form. If you like you could add chopped nuts or use crunchy peanut butter. I didn't add salt as there is enough in the ingredients. The batter will taste good but make sure it tastes sweet enough to you as it is less sweet once baked. I like these bars at room temperature or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can use natural peanut butter, but I like Skippy.

INGREDIENTS:

2¹/₄cups Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2 (560 mL)

2 tsp baking powder (10 mL)

1 tsp baking soda (5 mL)

¹/₂cup butter, softened (125 mL)

Liquid sweetener to equal 1 cup sugar (250 mL)

³/₄cup mashed banana (175 mL)

¹/₂cup whipping cream (125 mL)

¹/₃cup allulose (75 mL)

3 eggs

2 tbsp sugar-free peanut butter (30 mL)

1¹/₂tsp unflavored gelatin (7 mL)

1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz spreadable cream cheese (250 g)

¹/₄cup sugar-free peanut butter (60 mL)

Liquid sweetener to equal ¹/₄cup sugar (60 mL)

2 tbsp allulose (60 mL)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

In medium bowl, combine Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, baking powder and baking soda.

In food processor or in bowl with mixer, process butter. Add liquid sweetener, mashed banana, whipping cream, allulose, eggs, peanut butter, gelatin and vanilla extract; process well. Add dry ingredients; process.

Scoop into a greased 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) glass dish. Bake 25 minutes. Frost banana bars when cool. Refrigerate.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting: In food processor or in bowl with mixer, process cream cheese, peanut butter, liquid sweetener and allulose until smooth.

Yield: 24 bars

1 bar

138.7 calories

3.9 g protein

11.4 g fat

0.1 g fiber

4.8 g net carbs