I had a bunch of dead bananas sitting around, taking up space in my kitchen. I was going to make them into muffins, and then realized I hadn’t made banana bread for a very long time. I like quick breads…they are nice to have on hand when you get unexpected company, or to pack in  a lunch, or with a cup of tea or coffee. Since I still had some caramel sauce left over from when I made sticky toffee pudding,  I decided to make this easy banana bread and add caramel and pecans to the mix. The result was delicious…a rich, moist banana bread with the added sweetness of caramel and pecans.
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-4 ripe bananas, mashed (whatever makes 1 cup)
- 2 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 2-3 tablespoons caramel sauce
Preheat oven to 350F. Â In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Â Set it to one side. Combine the butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Then stir in the mashed banana and vanilla. Then add the flour mixture, slowly until it is all mixed in. Then stir in the pecans. Pour most of the batter into a greased or parchment lined 9×5 load pan, holding back about 1/2 cup. Make a zigzag trough in the top, and drizzle the caramel into it. Cover with the remaining batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean. Check in a couple of spots, because the caramel will remain sticky. Cool and remove from pan.
I drizzled a caramel glaze over it, because I have a raging sweet tooth. If you also love things sweet, you can make it as follows:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
In a pot, bring the butter and sugar to a boil, and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Then add the milk, and cook for another minutes. Remove from heat and beat in the icing sugar. Drizzle over top…it will harden as it cools. Enjoy!
Any ideas or suggestions for improvement?