Banana Bars with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting -- Something Sweet After a Week That Held

The first dusting of snow on the peaks. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods.

Beef stew this week. Chuck cubed. Browned. Slow simmered with carrots and potatoes. Cornbread on the side.

The week held. The work continues.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

The neighbor brought a pie after I cleared that corn cob from her heifer’s throat — cherry, from scratch, still warm. I ate a piece standing at the counter and thought about how that’s just how things work out here: you do the work, and sometimes something sweet comes back around. The bananas on the counter had gone past their prime by Wednesday, same as they always do, and these bars came together in about the time it takes to drink a second cup of coffee. They were gone before the week was out.

Banana Bars with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 22 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 24 bars

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2–3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan (or a 9x13-inch pan for thicker bars) and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
3. Add eggs and banana. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mashed bananas. Beat until combined — the mixture will look a little broken; that’s fine.
4. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Finish the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture in two additions, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until no dry streaks remain — do not overmix.
6. Bake. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan before frosting.
7. Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low between additions. Add vanilla. Then add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time and whip on high for 1–2 minutes until light and airy.
8. Frost and cut. Spread the whipped cream cheese frosting evenly over the cooled bars. Cut into 24 squares and serve. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 275 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 41g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 175mg