Sometimes we can't have enough bananas laying around the house and yet other times I buy them and no one eats them. Does this happen to you? I was feeling rather confident in the banana love when I bought 3 pounds of bananas from Sam's Club. I figured they would be gone in record time, but I was wrong. No one ate them. Not one single banana.
While I contemplated what I wanted to do with my bounty of bananas, I fixed myself one of my favorite childhood snacks. Sliced bananas topped with a mixture of peanut butter and Cool Whip. There really isn't a recipe for this. I just slice my bananas on the thick side and then mix about 3-4 tablespoons of Cool Whip with about 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Then I pile the Cool Whip/peanut butter mixture on top of each banana slice.
 |
| Lots of wonderful texture with all those bananas |
Adapted from A La Graham via Smitten Kitchen
one 4x8 inch loaf
3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed (I used 4)
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4 to 1 cup light brown sugar (depending on the level of sweetness you prefer)*I used 1 cup*
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cup of flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan.
Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
 |
| I loved the caramelized banana bits! |
I left the banana pieces on the larger side when I made this bread and I'm glad that I did. We enjoyed the texture of the bananas and loved how the bananas caramelized on the bottom of the bread. At first I worried that the small amount of Bourbon (1 tablespoon) would be unrecognizable, but you could definitely taste that the bread was jacked-up. Delicious!
After my banana snack and the banana bread, I still had quite a bit of bananas left over AND I had another problem.....GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. Since my daughter is selling Girl Scout cookies we have boxes and boxes of them everywhere.
I decided to take my favorite recipe for Banana Pudding, Paula Deen's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding, and replace the regular Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies called for in Paula's recipe with Shout Out Girl Scout Cookies. Banana Pudding is probably my all-time favorite dessert and this amped up version with the Girl Scout cookies was fantastic. So, if you happen to have some Shout Out Girl Scout cookies or Shortbread Girl Scout cookies then this would be a great recipe for you!
I've posted about this banana pudding recipe before, but you can find the recipe HERE on Food Network.
What do you like to do with your leftover bananas?
Kim, we go through the same banana "phases". Sometimes I can't keep them stocked and then other times they will just lay there. I like to either make my German banana cake with it or we start making milk shakes which about everyone in our house loves.
ReplyDeleteThe banana bread looks amazing. You are right when you say banana love, considering the amount that goes into it. I bet that along with the bourbon, makes for one incredibly moist and deliciously flavored banana bread! Thanks for sharing :o)
I am going through a huge banana phase right now - in fact I have the peel of one sitting beside me as I write this!
ReplyDeleteLeftovers? Smoothies and muffins usually. But now you have me craving peanut butter.. ♥
Kim, we're so much alike. I LOVE Cool Whip. I could care less that it's all chemicals too, lol. Whatever. Same situation as you too with the bananas, some weeks no one eats them, other weeks they're gone in record time. This is a fantastic banana bread recipe, bourbon? Oh, I'm definitely making this. I just need to buy some more bananas.......
ReplyDeleteP.S. No worries on Cookbook Sundays - I don't want you to feel pressure. Just join in whenever you can Kim. :o)
This happens at my house too. Then I usually just end up tossing the bananas in the freezer.
ReplyDeleteGreat banana treats. Your peanut butter and banana snack looks pretty tasty.
ReplyDeleteMimi
I love this post! I'm crazy about bananas too. I can't wait to give these recipes a try!
ReplyDeleteI'm not usually much of a banana bread fan, but "jacked up" sounds interesting... :)
ReplyDeletewe've totally been there. i feel like i'm always taking a gamble when i buy bananas. i swear sometimes they all disappear that day, othertimes my freezer is filled with them.
ReplyDeletei seriously don't know what i would try first! i love your pb adn cool whip idea. i'm also nuts for that pudding, woo, go bananas!
That is a truely dense, perfect spiced (and spiked) banana bread. I am thinking bourbon should be required in all banana breads.
ReplyDeleteOur house is the same way. Sometimes we got through bananas in the blink of an eye and other times they sit on the counter until they turn brown. I love the peanut butter whip dip idea. I always spoon PB on my banana.
ReplyDeleteWe always have bananas rotting away over here. Although I think they're rotten the second they turn yellow...so they're probably still edible. I love the sound of that cool whip/PB snack! THAT is what I need in my life.
ReplyDeleteThese are really good ideas! I like the banana whip idea. But that banana bread looks like something that I definitely have to create. I got into quite a bit of trouble recently eating too many bananas. I used to eat three for breakfast, but the doctor told me that that was too much sugar for a pregnant lady, so I won't be resuming banana consumption for at least another two months. They are so good!
ReplyDeleteI love a good banana bread :) Never tried with spices so that's defo something I need to give a go.
ReplyDeleteThat is jacked up! I love it :) I have a hard time just eating bananas right out of the package, but I think smearing that pb/cool whip mixture on it would do the trick.
ReplyDeleteI love your little banana snacks. Great idea! (I like cool whip too)
ReplyDeleteAnd bourbon in banana bread...
While I don't do bananas straight up, I can do boozy bananas for sure.
Altho my husband makes a good banana bread, this looks like it truly lives up to the name. The best banana bread I've ever had is sold on Maui on the road to Hana that is so famous it's written in some of the guidebooks. Since they won't share the recipe, I've been on the look out for a recipe to try and match it.....this may be the one, Kim!
ReplyDeleteYour little banana bites look really good. I almost always have bananas in various stages sitting around. I do muffins, smoothies of course, cut them up and freeze them--then dip in dark chocolate and roll in coconut and finally I peel and break up the soft ones, freeze them overnight and throw them in the food processor with a little vanilla until creamy and make dairy-free banana soft serve.
ReplyDelete