Brown Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Pecan Streusel
Moist brown butter banana bread is layered with sweet cinnamon chocolate pecan streusel. Chocolate, pecan, and cinnamon is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Add in sweet bananas and nutty brown butter and you have a winning combination. This is a great sweet slice to have with breakfast but is also the perfect anytime snack. Add a little vanilla ice-cream to a warm slice and you have a great simple dessert too.
“Crunchy sweet pecan chocolate streusel adds extra flavor to already yummy brown butter banana bread. ”
We eat a lot of bananas around here so it is not too often that we let them get too ripe before eating them all. But on the rare occasion that they do I just pop them in the freezer and wait for my collection to grow so that I can make banana bread. I freeze them whole, peel and all. In the freezer they will turn complete black and hold in all the great sweetness. To thaw them I just set them on the counter for a few minutes until they soften. Then, you have perfect baking banana mash ready to be add to breads, cookies, and cakes.
This recipe is for a loaf of banana bread but you can also use it to make yummy banana bread muffins. Instead of a loaf pan, use a cupcake tin and layer the batter and streusel together. Reduce the baking time to 25-30 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and a cake tester comes our nearly clean. I also used raw turbinado sugar in this recipe. You can substitute light brown sugar for it if you don't have it. It has become a pantry staple for me. I even use it to sweeten my coffee. It is a larger crystal sugar so it really gives the streusel a sweet crunch.
Brown Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Pecan Streusel
Brown Butter Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 egg, room temperature
3/4 cup turbinado sugar (can sub brown sugar)
4 over ripe freezer bananas; mashed
1/2 cup whole milk
Chocolate Pecan Streusel
4 tablespoons unsalted butter; diced
2/3 cup raw turbinado sugar (can sub brown sugar)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup pecan pieces
1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
*More melted chocolate for drizzling
Streusel:
In a small bowl mix together the diced butter, flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon with your fingers or a fork until it forms large crumbs. Then, mix in pecans. Put the streusel mixure in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the cake.
Banana Bread:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons of butter. As, the butter melts and begins to bubble, the milk solids will rise to the top. Continue to cook the butter until the milk solids turn brown, fall to the bottom and begins to have a nutty aroma. Keep a watchful eye and be careful not to burn the butter. Set aside and let cool slightly. Then, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and let the residual heat melt the butter while you gather the remaining ingredients.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a medium bowl, combine mash bananas, sugar, eggs and milk. Once the butter has cooled, mix in until just combined. Then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Gently mix together until just moistened.
Add half of the batter to the prepare pan. Then, top with half the streusel. Top with the remaining batter and sprinkle the top with the remaining streusel.
Add to the preheated oven and bake for 60 to 65 minutes until golden brown and cake tester comes out almost clean.
Let the bread cool in the pan and then use the parchment paper to remove and slice. Drizzle top with melted chocolate if desired.
