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Brown Butter Banana Bread Recipe with Vanilla Butter [Giveaway]

I’m not sure why I’ve waited so long to post a banana bread recipe on Kitchen Konfidence. Jorge and I love banana bread and we make it aaaaallllll the time.

Brown Butter Banana Bread with Vanilla Butter

I recently discovered a new banana bread recipe in Bobby Flay’s latest cookbook, Brunch @ Bobby’s, and it’s outstanding.  Crackly on the outside and moist on the inside, this brown-butter spiked bread is flavored with ripe bananas, honey, cinnamon and chopped smokey pecans.  The ingredient list and preparation are so simple, but the finished bread is wonderfully complex and flavorful.  It’s impossible to eat just one slice.

This banana bread is perfectly fine as is, but I decided to take it over-the-top with a rich, homemade Vanilla Butter (recipe also from the book).  This slightly-sweet spread is made with soft butter, vanilla seeds, salt and sugar.  Perfect for breakfast, brunch or dessert!  Continue reading for the recipes plus a cookbook/gift card giveaway AND a valuable tip to ripen bananas quickly.

Brown Butter Banana Bread Ingredients

Brown Butter Banana Bread Loaf

First, the giveaway.  The kind folks over at Clarkson Potter provided me with a copy of Brunch @ Bobby’s AND a $100 Visa Gift Card to give away to one lucky Kitchen Konfidence reader!!  I watch Brunch @ Bobby’s each week, and I always love to see all the inventive recipes and cocktails that he comes up with.  This book has 140 (some from the show) all dedicated to one of the best meals all week long: brunch!  Here’s how you can enter to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway open to US addresses only.

Brunch at Bobby's Cookboook

Before we get to the recipe, I want to share a simple tip on how to quickly ripen bananas in the oven.  I usually make banana bread when I’ve got a number of bananas that are overripe.  However, sometimes I want to make banana bread, and all I’ve got are fresh or somewhat ripe bananas (like the spotted ones pictured below).  In this instance, I like to use my oven to help “ripen” the bananas quickly.  Bake bananas for 15 – 20 minutes in a 250°F oven, and BOOM, black bananas.  The short trip to the oven helps to draw out moisture and concentrate sugars, making the bananas perfect for banana bread.  How easy is that?

Ripen Bananas in the Oven

 

Brown Butter Banana Bread with Vanilla Butter
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Brown Butter Banana Bread with Vanilla Butter

Slightly adapted from Brunch @ Bobby's.
Servings 1 loaf
Author Brandon Matzek

Ingredients

For the Banana Bread:

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnmaon
  • 4 medium overly ripe bananas (skins should be black), peeled (see tip above on how to quickly ripen bananas)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
  • Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

For the Vanilla Bean Butter:

  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise and seeds scraped
  • Pinch of fine grain sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat an oven to 350°F, and set an oven rack to the middle position. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch loaf pan.
  2. Cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter turns a deep golden brown color (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to a small bowl, whisking to combine. Set aside. Mash bananas using a fork in a medium bowl until smooth. Add sugar, browned butter, honey and egg to the bowl with the banana, whisking to combine. Add the flour mixture, then stir until just combined. Do not overmix here. Fold in the pecans.
  4. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and sprinkle the top evenly with turbinado sugar. Bake on the middle rack until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (40 to 50 minutes). Let cool on a baking rack in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool on the rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
  5. While the banana bread is cooling, make the Vanilla Butter. Stir together the butter, sugar, vanilla seeds (use the leftover pods for Vanilla Sugar), and salt in a small bowl until combined. Let flavors meld for a little bit before using (I waited 45 minutes). Store any leftover Vanilla Butter in the refrigerator, and let soften before using again.

 

Prizing and samples provided by Clarkson Potter. All thoughts, opinions and recipes are my own. I watch Brunch @ Bobby’s each week, so I am more than happy to spread the news about his new book!

Here are some other brunch recipes on Kitchen Konfidence:

Savory Waffles with Rosemary, Ham and Dubliner Cheese

Savory Waffles

Roasted Garlic Bloody Mary

Roasted Garlic Bloody Mary

Easy Homemade Hollandaise

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Orange Cardamom Scones

Finished Scones

Fluffy Cardamom Pancakes

Fluffy Cardamom Pancakes

Yeasted Pumpkin Waffles

Yeasted Pumpkin Waffles

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I love waffles for brunch, sometimes I make up a large batch of batter and divide it up into separate bowls. Everyone then gets to add their favorite mix-ins, sweet or savory! It gets the kids involved in the food prep, they go for sweet every single time, hard to believe isn’t it?

  2. I love banana bread so much! I would rathe have banana bread than a fancy cake or most any other dessert! I love the blackened banana GIF, so cool and a great tip! Fave brunch item…mimosas 🙂

    • Thanks Averie! Yeah that banana ripening tip has saved me a few times when I needed to make banana bread and all I had was barely ripe bananas!

  5. Love brunch….for me it is all about Bloody Marys and biscuits with sausage gravy. The ultimate southern comfort food.

  15. My favorite brunch food is waffles with strawberries and whip cream, my favorite brunch drink is a Bloody Mary.

  22. Our Favorite brunch dish is waffles with Bacon! I am always getting out the waffle maker and trying out different waffles. One of our favorites is my Chocolate Chip Waffles with hot chocolate syrup!

  24. I made your Brown Butter Banana Bread today, and it smells Fantastic! I haven’t tasted it yet because it’s still hot. I had a bit more batter than I thought I needed, but I used it all anyway. I did have to give it a few stern looks while it was baking to keep it from bubbling over, but it did just fine.

    Also really liked the tip about ripening bananas in the oven. Most of the bananas lately have been green when I get them and seem to go bad before they ripen enough naturally.

    • Interesting about the quantity! My batter came up 3/4 to 4/5 of the pan. Let me know how you enjoy the bread once it cools :). Thanks Daniel!

      • Definitely my new go-to banana bread recipe…yesterday’s loaf is already gone (there are 4 of us in the house and if something is good it doesn’t last long). I had some freakishly large bananas , so that was probably why I ended up with a lot of batter. I ‘m making another one Today!

        I only recently found your blog and I’m loving it!

        Daniel

        • Yay!!! This just made my day. So glad you loved the banana bread. Thanks for checking back in!!

  25. I’m not a huge breakfast person, so to me that’s why brunch is so amazing! If I can eat anything with shrimp in it before noon, I call that a win. 🙂

  28. I think my new favorite has been chilaquiles. Just throw some chorizo, scrambled eggs, cheese, and delicious tomatillo sauce on them. Delicious!

  29. I am a big lover of the sweet bits of brunch. This looks fabulous and I have a few bananas on my kitchen counter that could make this happen in my near future!

  31. I like to eat meat and cheese omelets for brunch. I also like French toast with fruit toppings.

  34. One of my favorite brunch food is quiche. I really like Broccoli Cheddar Quiche, makes a very nice brunch 🙂

  39. I’m such a fan of sweet breakfasts/brunches. My favorites have got to be challah french toast or crepes with fresh fruit!

  40. anything with a runny yolk + a bloody mary on the side! can’t be brunch without a bloody mary 🙂

  42. Breakfast is my favorite meal. There pretty much isn’t anything I don’t like but my favorite has always been waffles.

  44. This banana bread looks incredible! Love watching Bobby Flay on the Food Network but have never seen any of his cookbooks! Would love one. For brunch my go to is Eggs Benedict! Preferably with smoked salmon! So good!!

  50. I love quiche and mimosas! Bloody Mary’s are good too, especially if you have a little hangover from the day before 🙂

  52. My favorite brunch dish has to be this delicious biscuit sandwich from a local cafe with spicy bacon, cheddar cheese, a runny egg, on a asiago cheese biscuit! Yum!

  60. Give me a good Bloody Mary and I won’t fuss about anything else you want to serve. It’s all good when I have a Bloody Mary first.

  62. This banana bread has me craving a slice right now! I love how decadent this quick bread is and the vanilla butter takes it over the top in the best way! I think I’ll have to treat myself to a slice or two, and purchase Bobby’s new book too!

  69. My favorite brunch food is an overnight french toast and I always do a raspberry almond coffee cake with a cream cheese swirl and usually mimosas!

  72. I like “Shrimp and grits ” for brunch. I know they are more for dinner but I like the dish so much that I can eat anytime of the day.

  73. I’m such a sucker for banana bread… I grew up with it always around and it was alway so comforting. But brown butter banana bread? Why have I never thought to do that? That just sounds absolutely perfect.

    • Me too! My mother never made banana bread, so I came a little late to the party. But now I’m a big banana bread fan. Thanks Brian!

  80. I am bacon crazy. I also enjoy ham and cheese omelette s. I’ve never tried mimosas but would like to.

  82. Stratas are always fun! Or my Mom’s baked cheese souffle (sooo good). Fresh fruit is a must and always champagne!

  83. I am SO making this when I have my apartment back next week! Fingers crossed the SoCal weather actually turns to fall soon.

    I always have to have champagne during brunch but my special brunch treat for my hubby or visitors is Tripel Caramelized French Toast with Creme Anglaise. It’s always a plate scraper!

  85. I’m big on egg casseroles for brunch. You can get super creative, toss them together the night before and bake them off in the morning. Easy. Oh, and can I say, love your trick on ripening bananas!

    • Thanks Ani! Make-ahead brunch items are really key. I’ll often prepare yeasted waffles the night before.

  98. This looks so yummy, I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the banana riping tip. And for the chance to win. I’m going to be checking out Brunch @ Bobby’s .

  104. OMG that is genius – so cooking my bananas in the skins before I make banana bread next time. And love how you used brown butter and walnuts – looks like an epic banana bread. Love the way you photographed it too, all sliced up <3

  106. My favorite brunch food is eggs benedict. It’s hard to find a restarant that makes it.

  108. My favorite is fruit filled crepes with a powdered sugar dusting and fresh squeezed orange juice…YUM

  111. Yum, I love banana bread! My favorite brunch food is egg and cheesy quesadillas.

  113. I can’t pick just one so I’ll give you a sweet – homemade cinnamon rolls – and a savory – quiche Lorraine.

  118. I love any kind of quiche. Or pancakes are great also. Or toast slathered in butter and blackberry jam. Blackberries are the greatest.

  120. I love hash for brunch! So many ways to interpret it and you can make it a complete and nutritious main dish.

  127. My favorite brunch drink is a Bloody Mary with lots of garnishes. And I love a good breakfast burrito.

  128. Eggs. As a vegetarian, brunch menus can be hard to navigate, but every place has some kind of egg dish.

  129. Great tip on ripening the bananas and so clever how you animated it in before/after! Bobby Flay has great looking recipes, luv all his shows on the cooking channel and food network. Beautiful post, Brandon!

  137. Thanks for the tip on the bananas, I’m going to give it a try now with my almost ripe ones. Browned butter should make one of my favorite brunch foods even better.

  139. Right now I’m in love with pizzas. So many varieties and after finding a good crust recipe, the possibilities are endless!

  143. We love yeasted waffle with chocolate chips and fruits or scones for brunch. Thanks for the giveaway!

  144. Pancakes. So versatile. Savory or sweet. So many different versions. Padding into the kitchen with slippered feet, wiping the sleep from your eyes and finding a stack of chocolate chip pancakes on the breakfast table waiting for you on a snowy day. Laughing with friends over a short stack piled with syrup and fruit at 2 a.m. at a greasy diner after a night of dancing. Breakfast for dinner always includes pancakes. Pancakes mean comfort. Pancakes make people happy. What would the world be without pancakes?

  146. Favorite brunch food is always always always french toast! This banana bread looks amazing though, def have to try it!

  157. French toast or a savory bread pudding, scrambled eggs and a salty or spicy protien like bacon, ham or sausage. Finished up with a few sweets of course.

  161. Brunch at Bobbys was one of the must have cookbooks this year and his show – love it! I love your spin on this banana bread! I have to say, for brunch, one dish that is always a hit – my Mexican Chocolate French Toast – talk about chocolate cake for breakfast 🙂

  162. I love the gif of the somewhat ripe to over ripe bananas! It’s perfect, as is this bread. I love a little sweet with my brunch.

    • Hi Iman! I just use regular pecans here. To me they’ve got a bit of a smokey flavor. Maple, caramel, smoke, butterscotch – all notes I get from a pecan.

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