Peanut Brittle Banana Bread

Banana bread is something that I never get tired of baking. Not only it is simple to make, but it’s versatile enough that you can change up the flavors every time and get equally different – and delicious – results. Peanut butter and banana is a great combination. The salty sweetness of peanut butter is a great match for the fruity sweetness of banana. Both peanut butter and bananas have a creamy texture, however, so one way to get even more out of this combination is to add some texture to it. This was the inspiration for my Peanut Brittle Banana Bread, which has chunks of salty-sweet peanut brittle swirled throughout a moist, tender banana bread!

The two key ingredients for this recipe are ripe bananas and peanut brittle. Two large bananas will give you about a cup of mashed banana. Don’t worry if you have a bit more or a bit less than that amount, as the recipe is fairly forgiving of the banana component. You will, however, want to ensure that you have plenty of peanut brittle so that you get some in every bite of banana bread. You can make your own from scratch or use store-bought peanut brittle. I actually used brittle from See’s Candies that I coarsely chopped before stirring into the batter. I love the salty-sweet element that peanut brittle brings. Unlike adding just peanut butter, it doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the bananas, so you get a great balance of peanut, candy and banana throughout the whole loaf. The nuts from the brittle add a great crunch, too.

I recommend both greasing your loaf pan and lining the base with parchment paper for this recipe. The toffee bits will melt and caramelize in the oven, creating deliciously sticky pockets that can stick to the sides of the pan. Lining the base – I usually line the sides, as well – ensures that the loaf will slide out of the pan neatly after baking. Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing. I serve these slices as=is, but feel free to spread them with peanut butter for an even more filling treat!

Peanut Brittle Banana Bread
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 salt
2 large bananas
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt
In a large bowl, mash the banana. Add in sugar, egg, butter and vanilla and stir until well-combined. Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk. Stir in the remaining flour mixture, followed by the coarsely chopped peanut brittle. Mix until brittle is well-distributed and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour batter into loaf pan.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow loaf to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf.