It’s almost time for the day where you show your significant other how you feel about them through a plethora of different things. Normally for V-Day, displaying your love for your partner is a heart balloon filled dinner, a nice bottle of red, and a bouquet of roses. We here at Amodrn thought that this year, we’d like to help you think outside of the box. We enlisted the help of the Vintage Baker, Jessie Sheehan. She is a professional baker, recipe developer, food writer and author of The Vintage Baker. Her specialty is creating old-fashioned American desserts with a modern twist. Her recipes have short ingredient lists, simple instructions can often be assembled in just one bowl and clearly demonstrate that creating delicious desserts and baked goods is easily attainable by all. She’s given Amodrn an incredible Valentine’s Day Recipe that you can make in no time!
Valentine’s Day Recipe: Black-Bottom Banana Dream Bars
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Makes 16 bars
Ingredients:
For the black-bottom crust:
- 9 ounces (255 g) crisp chocolate wafer cookies
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 7 tablespoons (105 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the topping:
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (30 g) cake flour
- Baking powder (1/2 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 120 g (1 cup) walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
- 1 cup (60 g) sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup (130 g) chopped ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup (45 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Grease a 9-in-by-9-in pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and up two sides, grease the paper, and set aside. For the crust, place the wafers and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until finely ground. Add the melted butter and process until combined, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula, if needed. Transfer the crumbs to the prepared pan and, using your fingers, press them evenly on the bottom of the pan. Freeze for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days, tightly covered in plastic wrap. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the crust for 8, rotating halfway, until it’s dry to the touch and puffy. Let cool.
For the topping, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the eggs and vanilla on medium-high speed until quite frothy, at least 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat again for 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a wire mesh sieve, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the bowl. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in the walnuts, coconut, bananas, and chocolate chips. Pour the topping over the crust and spread evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating at the halfway point, until the top is nicely browned, looks set, and is no longer wet.
Let the bars come to room temperature and refrigerate until cold. Serve cold or at room temperature. The bars will keep in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
While you’re here, check out the endless health benefits of extra virgin olive oil.
