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Lemon Squares
Dena Kleiman, Susan Mahnke Peery
2027 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
2,027
1 hour
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Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas coarsely using a fork. They should be fully broken apart, but it’s OK if some larger lumpy pieces remain. Whisk in the melted butter, yogurt, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt to combine. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir to combine using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Scrape the sides and base of the bowl well to make sure the mixture is uniformly combined.
Gently stir in the chocolate until combined, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer. If using, sprinkle the surface generously with coarse sugar.
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the edges of the loaf start to pull away from the edge of the pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 60 to 75 minutes. If the top of the loaf is becoming too dark before it’s baked through, loosely cover with foil.
Transfer from the oven to a cooling rack and run a thin knife around the edge of the banana bread to separate it from the pan. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding and cooling completely.
I've made this as described. I've made it with substitutions. We've eaten it for breakfast. We've eaten it for dessert. No matter how I make it or when we eat it, it's heavenly. For us, it's been the Official Quick Bread of the Pandemic. We've taken to buying bananas in big bunches. We mean to eat them on our cereal, we really do. But after a few days, they start to turn, and we say, "Gosh, would you look at that? Our bananas are turning." And we turn the oven to 350...
Made this today and subbed buttermilk for the yogurt because...staying home obviously due to social distancing! I also had to use Cake Flour for the same reason...The Banana Bread was so fabulous!!!! I highly recommend making it and even using the same substitutions! (I usually don't like when reviewers change ingredients in the recipe, but I guess we all have to learn to roll with the cards we have been dealt)
According to King Arthur, the internal temperature of banana bread should be 200-205 degrees F. Why guess?
Do yourself a favor and add a tablespoon of rum! Because when social distancing, why not?
For those of you with too much batter - or overflowing batter - the amount of bananas could be the reason why. A medium banana is 7–8 inches and weighs 118 grams. If you multiply 118 grams by 4 you will know that you need 472 grams of bananas (peeled) for this best banana bread ever. Also, check your oven temp with a thermometer and adjust accordingly. I made the extraordinary chocolate chocolate chip version, no nuts. The best banana bread I’ve ever tasted!
I made muffins with this recipe. Did not add Choc Chips. Did add 1 tsp of baking powder. Filled to the top of the muffin tin and got nice rounded muffins! Bake each pan for 15 min.
I made this yesterday and made some substitutions to make it Vegan (my daughter is allergic to Dairy and Eggs). I wanted to share with you all because it turned out AMAZING! First I swapped the Butter for Miyokos Organic Vegan Butter. I swapped the Yogurt for Kite Hill Plain Dairy Free Yogurt. I used 2Tbs of Ground Flax Seed mixed with 6Tbs of warm water to substitute the eggs. Finally, I used Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips. The texture was perfect and no one would be able to tell it was Vegan!
I just made this today and it was delicious but I made a few adjustments. - only used 1/2 cup coconut sugar (there’s enough sweetness from the bananas and choc chips to make up the difference) - used 1/2 cup all purpose and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour which added to the moistness - my bread almost burned so watch this closely, I would have taken it out 10min earlier Overall delicious and moist my 2yr old and I devoured it!
Made this and took 10 minutes before end time. It was burned around the edges but the yogurt saves the inside. I would check this at the 50 minute mark.
I should have listened to another baker whose pan overflowed. Although mine didn’t spill onto the oven floor the batter is hanging over the sides of the pan as I write this. I used the recommended size pan and followed directions with no modifications. Perhaps a note should be added to only fill the prepared pan 3/4 full would be helpful.
Great recipe! I substituted in whole wheat flour instead of the all purpose and it came out perfectly. I used a little less brown sugar than one cup. Cooked for 50ish minutes and then covered it with foil for the last 15. Delish!!!
This recipe is extraordinarily good. The yogurt gives it a moist, tender crumb. I made two changes: 1) King Arthur gluten free flour and 2) cut down the sugar to 1/2 cup dark brown sugar. The gluten free flour mix is indistinguishable (for me) to regular AP flour in this recipe.
Although it wasn't quite what I expected initially (very sweet and not so cake-like), I changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars a day later because my goodness does it taste good. I think waiting one day really helps to bring out all the flavours. I also added half a cup of grated coconut which makes it taste even more delicious imo, highly recommended!
Reduced sugar by half, used cake flour, toasted walnuts. My 2.5 yr old mashed the bananas, ground the nuts with our old fashioned grinder, and dumped everything in the mixer. I only filled the pan loaf 2/3 full and put spillover in ramekins. Love how crunchy the raw sugar makes the top. An afternoon in quarantine extremely well spent!
Made it with the cocoa powder substitution suggested in the Tip and it was the moistest, bestest version of banana bread I have ever tasted! Cooking time was the full 75 minutes using a 9x5 loaf pan. In these flour challenged times, all I had was bread flour. So I used a Nigella-inspired idea and substituted a tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of flour (she does this in her Victoria sponge). The cornstarch reduces the protein a bit and makes for a lighter, more tender crumb.
I like to add extra chocolate chips along the top after the mix is poured into the loaf pan! It gives a bakery-type feel to the loaf, and who doesn’t like extra chocolate chips?
Made this in a 9 x 9 parchment-lined square pan, baked at 325 for about 40-45 minutes and the results were perfect for cutting into snack cake squares. Nice tall 2 inch pieces. Also, like a ditz, I forgot to add the butter to the recipe (it hurts more that I'm a retired pastry chef)... and it still came out tender and moist due to all the bananas. I was shocked at the finished quality. I used semisweet chips for this, but would use milk chocolate next timeThis recipe is a keeper, butter or not.
Fantastic - liked by everyone who tried it
I made the chocolate version. Needed some white sugar to make it “pop.” Could have been delicious.
Given the cooking time I’m wondering if you can pre-make the batter to make mornings a little easier?
Used chocolate protein powder in place of cocoa powder and it’s fantastic. Made 12 muffins cooked for about 19 minutes at 350. Delicious. Also used half the sugar. Wouldn’t change be anything except maybe fast practice get more protein in next time.
I made this with almond flour and added a cup of blueberries just before baking. The result is a very moist and denser cake. Instead of making a bread, I made them into cupcakes and then sprinkled crystallized sugar on top when they came out of the oven. Really delicious.
I made this gluten free (my son is intolerant) by using a mix of oat flour and almond flour; it was delicious! Note that you need to weigh rather than measure when using Oat flour, and also you'll want to increase the liquid ingredients a tiny bit because almond flour is drier than wheat (I added about two tablespoons of milk). Nobody realized it was gluten free!
4 bananas is best. 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup white chocolate chips
Very good recipe, nice and moist! I added a tablespoon of molasses, 1 tsp of nutmeg, and 2 tsps of ginger for for bit more spice. Also works with 3 bananas and a 1/2 cup of yogurt.
Don’t use dark chocolate
473 g banana.
Do you think I could add oats to this recipe to make it healthier?
This is a go-to when I have overripe bananas. I've made every variation, and usually use regular chocolate chips (makes large melty chocolate pockets). The baked loaf freezes very well, just wrap with plastic and again with foil; consider pre-slicing for on-demand banana bread. I agree with the cook who recommended using 472 grams of banana — this is the perfect amount. Thanks Erin Jeanne for another banger of a recipe. This even impressed my in-laws!
Absolutely delicious for breakfast, dessert or a snack. A little sweet according to Hubbie but just right for me. We’ve made it a couple of times!
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