Dulce de Leche Banana Bars from www.bakersroyale.com

Dulce de Leche Banana Bars

February 5th, 2012

Yes, it’s as much of a mouthful as it reads. The bars are somewhat a result of indecision with what to make – seems to be the theme lately. I couldn’t decide whether or not to make Banana Cream Bars or a Dulce de Leche Bar. So in keeping with the theme I just went for it and threw it all together. (recipe at bottom of post)

Dulce de Leche Banana Bars

The result is a deliciously sweet bar with nice crisp graham cracker crust that is layered with Vanilla Oreos, mini marshmallows, fresh banana slices and some salted pecans to even out the sweetness. Melting its way in between all that is a creamy dulce de leche binder. As for the finishing top, I couldn’t help add a layer of roasted marshmallows on the top for a little smoky flavor. 

 

These are a mouthful, but trust me when I say they are really good. I was skeptical at first that they would be too sweet. As it turned out, the first run was too sweet. I added too much dulce de leche, not enough bananas, and making it even worse, I threw in toffee bits. But I corrected the imbalance in the second run by removing the toffee bits, decreasing the dulce de leche and increasing the bananas. The adjustments worked. 

 

A few notes: 

• For this recipe I used store bought dulce de leche. I was lazy, but when I’m not lazy I make my own. Click here for a step-by-step tutorial to making homemade dulce de leche.
• Use ripe but firm bananas.
• Keep a careful eye when roasting the marshmallows in the broiler as they go from golden to burnt in a matter of seconds. The time listed in the recipe is a guide, so make sure to open the broiler door and check marshmallows every thirty seconds.
• For easy cutting, refrigerate the bars first so they are nice and firm prior to slicing. For a little added help, lightly cover the knife with bake spray.

Dulce de Leche Banana Bars

Makes one 8×8 pan | Create a foil sling and cover it with bake spray. 

Ingredients: 

• 18 whole graham crackers, processed to a fine crumb, about 2 ½ cups
• 12 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1 cup salted pecans, coarsely chopped
• 20 Vanilla Oreos, coarsely chopped
• 3 bananas, sliced
• 21 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 ½ cans)
• 13.4 oz dulce de leche (1 can)

Instructions: 

• Place graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl and mix to combine. Transfer crumbs to foil lined pan and firmly press into bottom. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
• Layer chopped Vanilla Oreos, salted pecans and sliced bananas on graham cracker crumb.
• Place sweetened condensed milk and dulce de leche in a heatproof bowl and microwave until mixture is warm enough to fully combine with a whisk. Pour dulce de leche mixture over layers and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
• Sprinkle marshmallows on top and place pan under the broiler. Remove from broiler and let cool completely then refrigerate for 30-45 minutes before cutting to serve.