Warning: This banana bread is not for the faint of heart. It has peanut butter, chocolate, and caramelized bacon bits. It’s straight up over the top delicious and funky ( as Guy Fietti would say). And again… there’s bacon. Nuff said.
If that’s not enough for you, here are some testimonials from my colleagues who were my guinea pig taste testers.
“You had me at peanut butter.”
“The flavors all work really well together and none overpower the whole thing”
and my personal favorite: “THIS IS BALLER.”
Overview: This is a luxurious & different take on banana bread. For you baking purists out there it may not be your thing. BUT for those of you who are a tad adventurous and like a whole lot of good flavors combined in one- this will be your jam. Maybe literally… jam could be good on this. Anything & everything is good on this.
As I type this it’s pretty much my ideal Sunday morning. I am drinking iced coffee ( favorite brand ever- Grady’s Cold Brew ) and snacking on cold leftover pizza while singing along to Aretha Franklin. Oh yeah, and planning my baking extravaganza, since that’s why you read this blog after all. If you don’t have morning’s like this on occasion, I highly recommend it. Nothing makes your soul soar like humming Say A Little Prayer while pulling out chocolate chips, peanut butter and other baking goodies. I’m aware I sound super basic right now… I have my moments.
As it’s full blown winter with dark starting at 5 and cozy day’s spent inside, the baking bug has bit me. Per usual, my go to is banana bread. This is mostly due to the fact that I have a terrible habit of buying too much of everything at the store, including banana’s, and having at least 6 in the freezer at all times. The result though is I always have an excuse to make banana bread, muffins, smoothies etc. After surveying the 8+ old frozen bananas I had on stock ( this has to be a personal record for me), I decided to make 2 different types of bread. My favorite classic banana bread and a new one I discovered thanks to the awesome blog: How Sweet Eats.
Enter: Elvis Banana Bread. Based off of this recipe and altered some to make it my own!
If you want to skip my ramblings/insights and just get to the print out version of the recipe- scroll to the bottom now! No hard feelings.
Instructions:
I always find it easier to get all the ingredients and mixing bowls, measuring cups and whisk’s out so that everything is easily accessible. As I’m cooking in a small kitchen I often use our kitchen table as prep space too as there simply isn ‘t enough counter space.
Prep: Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mash your 4 banana’s in a bowl and add a touch of all spice or cinnamon if you wish. Put aside for later. Melt both your butter and peanut butter (but not together) and leave out on counter to cool for later on. Last- butter or spray the loaf pans so the bread won’t stick! I like to butter them as I don’t usually use cooking spray.
Start with frying up your bacon over medium high heat. Once the bacon looks cooked and fat rendered, turn the heat off but drizzle some maple syrup ( or sub brown sugar) over the bacon slices and flip over a few times. Once the syrup has coated the bacon and it looks caramelized take out of pan and let drain/rest on a paper towel.
Then combine all your dry ingredients in one bowl.
Whisk together your wet ingredients- adding the mashed banana’s last.
Finally, combine your wet and dry mixed ingredients and combine until there are no flour clumps and the batter is pretty smooth.
Fold in the chocolate chips ( as much or little as you’d like) and then pour into the buttered loaf pans.
Pop the pans in the oven for about 35 minutes until the bread looks pretty set but is still slightly soft.
Pull out the loaves and add the chopped bacon pieces to the top of the bread’s. Push the bacon bits into the top of the bread so it cooks into it. Then return to oven for another 10 minutes.
Let the loaves sit and cool before cutting into them if you can stand to wait! Often I’ll carefully pop the bread out of the pans and let it cool on a cooling rack so that it speeds up the process a bit.
Smother with butter, peanut butter or just enjoy plain with a big glass of milk! This bread disappeared so fast in my house and at my office- good luck keeping it for long. Even more of a reason to make more than 2 loaves 😉
dig in!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 50 minutes |
| Servings |
loaves
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- 4 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips I used semi sweet but it's up to you!
- 1 tbl maple syrup for caramelizing the bacon
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt a touch more won't hurt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2/3 cup brown sugar loosely packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted & cooled to room temp
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter melted & cooled
- 4 bananas bananas mashed
- 1/3 cup milk I used 2%
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add bacon, cooking until crisp and fat is rendered. Drizzle maple syrup over the top of the bacon to caramelize right before removing from heat. Remove bacon and let drain on a paper towel until ready to use.
- Spray a loaf pan liberally with non-stick spray or grease with butter. You can use one, 10 X 6" loaf pan or 2 smaller loaf pans.
- In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon then set aside.
- In a large bowl combine wet ingredients. Whisk the egg and sugar together until smooth. Whisk in vanilla extract, peanut butter and butter. Add bananas and milk and mix until combined.
- Then add in dry ingredients slowing, mixing with a spoon until batter comes together.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until combined.
- Pour batter into the loaf pans and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes.
- Pull loaves out of oven to top with the chopped up bacon bits. Press the chopped bacon pieces into the top of the loaf's, pressed in slightly so they will bake into the bread.
- Bake for 10 more minutes and pull out of oven to rest. Let rest until cooled before cutting into the bread.
- Serve with butter or more peanut butter smeared on top and try not to eat the whole thing in 24 hours... I dare you.