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Cozy Brown Butter Banana Bread with Walnut Streusel

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This brown butter banana bread with walnut streusel turns skeptics into converts with its nutty, toasty depth and crunchy topping. It’s simple enough for a weekday morning but special enough for a holiday brunch.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter
  • 3 medium overripe bananas (about 1½ cups mashed or 340 grams)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup (80 grams) plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100 grams, packed) light brown sugar
  • 1½ cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup (50 grams, packed) light brown sugar (for streusel)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • 2 tablespoons (28 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (for streusel)
  • ½ cup (60 grams) chopped walnuts (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Brown the butter: Place ½ cup unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter melts, foams, and turns golden-amber with brown specks. Remove from heat immediately and pour into a heatproof bowl. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides. Alternatively, grease and flour the pan.
  3. Make the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Add 2 tablespoons cold cubed butter. Use fingertips or a pastry cutter to work butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter pieces. Stir in ½ cup chopped walnuts. Refrigerate while making batter.
  4. Mash bananas: In a large mixing bowl, mash 3 overripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth (a few lumps are fine). You should have about 1½ cups.
  5. Mix wet ingredients: To the mashed bananas, add 2 room-temperature eggs, ⅓ cup Greek yogurt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Add cooled brown butter and whisk again. Add ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup packed brown sugar; whisk until mostly dissolved, about 1 minute.
  6. Add dry ingredients: In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add to wet ingredients and fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined (12-15 folds). Do not overmix.
  7. Assemble and bake: Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle chilled streusel evenly on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If streusel browns too quickly after 30 minutes, tent with foil.
  8. Cool: Let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes, then lift out using parchment handles and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing (about 1 hour).

Notes

Don’t skip browning the butter; it’s the key flavor. Use a light-colored pan for browning. Room temperature ingredients matter. Measure flour correctly by spooning and leveling. Don’t overmix. Check for doneness early. Let cool completely before slicing for best texture. The flavor improves on the second day.

Nutrition

Keywords: brown butter banana bread, walnut streusel, banana bread, easy banana bread, brown butter, walnut topping

Find it online: https://junomeals.com/cozy-brown-butter-banana-bread-with-walnut-streusel/