Roasted Banana Bars with Browned Butter-Pecan Frosting

Take me down to paradise city...Roasted Banana Bars with Browned Butter Pecan Frosting

From: Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2009

2 cups sliced ripe banana, about 3
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbs. butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 1/4 cups cake flour (I didn't have any and used a flour/cornstarch substitute and it turned out ok, but I could tell it made a difference)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 lg. eggs
Baking spray with flour

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I didn't have any and they were still great but I think they would have been good with them too.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To prepare bars, combine banana, brown sugar and 1 Tbs. butter in an 8 inch square baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes, stirring after 17 minutes. Cool slightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl. Combine banana mixture, buttermilk, and 1 tsp. vanilla in another medium bowl. Place 1/2 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs to sugar mixture, mix well. Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture, alternating with the banana mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Pour the batter into a 9x13 pan coated with baking spray. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting, melt 1/4 cup butter in a small sacuepan over medium heat; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly. Combine browned butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese and 1 tsp. vanilla in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread frosting over cooled bars. Sprinkle with pecans.