Recipe of the Week...Black-Bottom Banana Bars

This is a recipe that I cut out of a magazine several years ago - I think it came out of either a "Country Woman" or "Taste of Home" magazine, but I can't recall for sure. These bars are fast and easy to whip up and are so moist and delicious...a terrific way to use up those bananas that are getting a little too ripe! (Just a note: my family thinks that they taste even better on the second day).

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ripe, mashed bananas
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa

Method:
Place all ingredients, except cocoa powder, in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Divide batter in half, add cocoa to half of the batter and spread into a buttered 13" x 9" x 2" cake pan. Spoon remaining batter on top of chocolate batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the pan comes out clean. Cool and cut into bars. Dust tops of bars with powdered sugar before serving. Delicious!

Have a blessed day!