Healthy Banana Blondies with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting

It's about time I finally posted my recipe for my FAVORITE way to use up two spotty bananas in a lightened up baked good item!
 

I am someone who just hates to waste any little bit of food, so when I had two spotty bananas left on my counter a few months ago that were about to go bad I went down a deep, dark internet hole trying to find a healthier recipe to use them in.  I landed on a recipe from Amy's Healthy Baking blog and altered it a bit to my liking.  PSA: Amy has TONS of recipes on her site so if you are ever looking for something specific, give her page a search!
 

 I tweaked Amy's recipe a few times and ended with a version that I've been making over and over again ever since! I changed it to use less flour and instead subbed in 1/4 cup of collagen to cut some carbs, boost the protein, and add in some of the health benefits that collagen provides (good for your joints, skin, hair and nails!) If you don't have collagen handy you can sub in 1/4 cup of flour or even try 1/4 cup of protein power.  You will need to watch your cook time for each though - start with less time on the timer and check it often with a tooth pick, and if you use protein powder you will likely need more liquid as well.


The recipe is very low fat as it only uses a little bit of butter. To keep the bars moist, greek yogurt is added instead of extra butter or oil  There's also not much extra sweetener added - the spotty bananas help keep it sweet enough on it's own!


The best upgrade for the bars though is a big slather of cream cheese icing on top that requires only three ingredients.  The recipe for the icing below will cover one batch of bars with a little extra leftover, but it's easy to double and I often will to have it on hand for other goodies (or for when all these bars get eaten in a few days and it's time to make more!!!)


These bars are hubby and house guest approved and work great as a snack or dessert without breaking the calorie bank. They've been a staple in my my meal prep lately and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Nutritional Information

I baked my bars in a 9 inch square pan and cut them into 9 servings.  One bar PLAIN comes out to 112 calories with 17 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fat, and 6 grams of protein. With about a tablespoon of the Greek yogurt frosting on top one bar would be 132 calories with 18 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fat and 8 grams of protein.

 





Healthy Banana Blondies with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting
Easy to make banana blondies with added collagen for health benefits topped with cream cheese frosting - the perfect recipe to use up two ripe bananas on your counter! Modified from Amy's Healthy Baking
      Ingredients
      Banana Bars:
    • 1 Cup of All Purpose Flour
    • 1/4 Cup Collagen (I used Vital Proteins) *See Above for Substitutions
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp Baking Powder
    • 2 Large Bananas Mashed
    • 1.5 Tbs Unsalted Butter (melted)
    • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 1/2 Cup Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
    • 3/4 tsp Vanilla Cream Sweetleaf Liquid Stevia
    • 1/4 Cup Vanilla Unsweetened Almond Milk
    • Frosting:
    • 4oz Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese (Can Sub 1/3 Fat Cream Cheese)
    • 1 Container (5.3oz) Light and Fit Greek Yogurt (I use the Banana Cream flavor but Vanilla works too)
    • 3/4 Tbs Jello Sugar-free Cheesecake Pudding Mix
          Instructions
          Preheat oven to 300F and spray a 9x9 inch brownie pan with cooking sprayIn a medium sized bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, collagen, salt and baking powder and mix to combineIn another large mixing bowl mash two large bananas then add in remainder of wet ingredients: melted butter, vanilla, greek yogurt, Stevia, and almond milk and mix to combineSlowly fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. If the batter feels too dry, add a splash of extra milk. This will be a thick, wet batter almost like thick pancake batter Pour batter into greased baking panBake at 300F for 25-30 minutes. With my oven – they come out perfect at about 28 minutes – the bars will still be a little moist due to the bananas in them. Don’t overcook! To make the frosting, add room temperature cream cheese, greek yogurt, and pudding mix to a large bowl and use a hand mixer to beat until combined and smoothAllow the bars to cool for a few hours or overnight before frosting. Cut into 9 pieces and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy!
          Details
          Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes. Total Time: 45 Minutes Yield: 9 Servings



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