Monkey Bars

Somehow, bananas always seem to get too ripe before being eaten in my house.  I usually throw them in a ziploc bag and keep them in the freezer until I need the freezer space or think that they need to be thrown out.  After a recent grocery shopping trip my husband, annoyed, after doing the "freezer shuffle" pulled out a bag of ripe bananas and declared that he was, "going to do something with these."  I jokingly said, "you mean I will do something with them."  But I guess I wasn't joking.  I whipped these up on Monday afternoon after searching for a banana recipe that I hadn't tried yet.  Overall, these were a hit!  I didn't have buttermilk, so I used regular 1% milk.  I omitted the walnuts and to make these kid-friendly, I used the apple juice instead of rum. These were delicious and super-moist! 

Monkey Bars 
Cooking Light October 2001

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum or apple juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
3 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

 Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the raisins and rum in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high for 1 minute, and set aside. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 3 ingredients (flour through salt) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Set aside.

Combine brown sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add banana and next 3 ingredients (banana through egg whites), beating well. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in raisin mixture and walnuts.

Spread the batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool the bars completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!