I have weeks where my kids each want to eat one banana a day, and I have weeks where no one wants to eat bananas and I’m baking lots of banana bread. I absolutely love my healthy chocolate chip banana bread, but when I think of traditional banana bread I think of one that is chocolate-free and instead has lots of nuts. I know that nuts aren’t for everyone, but I encourage you to try this cinnamon pecan banana bread with it’s pecan streusel topping. While my healthy banana bread is naturally-sweetened, uses whole wheat flour, and is dairy free, this version uses white flour, regular granulated sugar, and browned butter for maximum flavor. It’s a totally different flavor profile than my other recipe and was worth sharing. It tastes like a delicious banana cake!
We are using four ripe bananas in this recipe and it is important that they are very spotty and brown and mushy. I know some people put bananas in the oven to speed up the ripening process but I find that I have better results when I let the bananas ripen on their own. Our wet ingredients also included browned butter which is going to add so much flavor to this nutty banana bread, as well as both vanilla and almond extracts for more depth of flavor. Two teaspoons of cinnamon are included in the dry ingredients for extra cinnamon flavor as well as lots of chopped pecans. The pecan banana bread is sprinkled with a generous amount of cinnamon pecan streusel topping for extra flavor and crunch. I added a simple powdered sugar glaze in this banana bread recipe but that step is completely optional.
This pecan banana bread resembles a delicious, nutty banana cake with it’s buttery, nutty deliciousness. I hope you make it the next time you have ripe bananas!
- 4 very ripe bananas
- ½ cup melted and browned butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp. (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 4 tbsp. (1/4 cup) melted butter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a standard loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the browned butter, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and sugar and whisk until combined and smooth.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, make the streusel topping. Mix together the pecans, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Sprinkle over the banana bread batter.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
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