Brown Sugar Banana Bread

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slice banana bread upclose
Do you have a favorite banana bread recipe?  I don’t. At least I didn’t until recently.  I’ve made a lot of banana bread through the years.  Mostly crumbly, sometimes overly dense, occasionally dry, and always leaving me wishing I just hadn’t bothered.

Then my friend Opal called asking me if I have a recipe for banana bread — made with sour cream and brown sugar.  What?  I’ve never even seen a banana bread recipe with those ingredients.  Opal says it is the only recipe she has used for years and years.  Unfortunately, the recipe got away from her in a cookbook she gave to her granddaughter as she was leaving for Africa!

sliced banana bread
I Googled and read through dozens of recipes looking for just the right combination of ingredients that included the sour cream and brown sugar. By the time I passed this recipe on to Opal I was already on my way to the kitchen!

Black Bananas
But first, I had to retrieve these bananas from the freezer.  Many months ago (embarrassingly long ago) I put these in the freezer for a few days until I had time to do something with them.  Now I had the recipe … but I had no idea if the bananas were still good.  Turns out — you can put bananas in the freezer, leave them for a long time, thaw them out and squeeze them into your banana bread recipe!

3 loaves banana bread
First thing you may notice about my three loaves of banana bread … they are each a different size. Same size pans but my ability to split up the batter equally left something to be desired!

Banana bread sliced
I used Turbinado Sugar for the little sprinkling on top. Definitely a good idea as it left the top slightly crisp.  We slathered on some leftover Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Spread and ate it for dessert one evening.  Out of this world!  For me the decision to keep a recipe often times boils down to one thing.  In this case the Chief  took one bite and said, “wow!  this is the best banana bread you have ever made!”  That’s the one thing. 🙂

Banana bread is wonderful toasted and it can even be sliced thick and used for french toast.  Thanks to Opal for telling me about “brown sugar and sour cream” in banana bread!

Happy Baking!
Catherine

Thanksgiving and Prayer

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.       Ephesians 1:15-23

Opal’s Brown Sugar Banana Bread
 
Prep time
Total time
 
Moist, rich, scrumptious!
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium well-ripened bananas)
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • *Additional brown sugar or Turbinado Sugar for top of batter
Instructions
  1. Mix together butter, oil, sugars and eggs.
  2. Add mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla, stirring well.
  3. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring until it is well blended.
  4. Pour into 1 greased large loaf pan or 3 greased small pans (7" x 3½").
  5. Sprinkle additional brown sugar generously over top of the batter.
  6. Bake at 325 degrees; large loaf for about an hour, small loaves for about 45 minutes. Test bread to make sure it is done in the middle.
  7. Allow bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges, tap the pan carefully on the counter to release the bread from the bottom of the pan, then invert pan over a wire rack and let the bread fall onto the rack to finish cooling.
  8. Butter up and enjoy!
Notes
Other favorite ingredients may be added according to your taste: miniature chocolate chips, toffee bits, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, chopped macadamia nuts.

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3 thoughts on “Brown Sugar Banana Bread”

  1. Must try! I’ve used a recipe with sour cream but it has white sugar. I will be trying this! I’ve always put my bananas in the freezer too but didn’t like messing with the peel. So I peel now and put in a Baggie. They stay very nice! Don’t turn dark either.

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