caramelized banana bread + browned butter glaze.

Have you heard of bananas foster? Butter and sugar are roasted in a pan, then sliced bananas are added until they start to soften. At the very end, some rum is sploshed in, before the whole mixture is spooned over ice cream while still warm.

The same concept is applied to this (relatively healthy) banana bread. The bananas are roasted with butter and sugar until they caramelize a little, and then the mixture is mashed together until everything is homogenous.

That sweet sticky mixture is incorporated into the rest of the ingredients, and baked in a loaf pan till golden. Afterwards, a thick glaze is spooned over the entire loaf, so that it dribbles into every crevice.

I wish I had some right now. I have the beginnings of some, in the fridge. One teeny super shriveled totally black banana and another slightly healthier one. They don't have enough substance for a whole loaf though.

But there's pumpkin! I'm thinking muffins or pancakes.

This weekend has so many fun things planned, including baking. It makes me feel guilty for not working as much as I should be, but it is Halloweekend, right? Those festivities are definitely sprinkled in-between everything else going on Friday and Saturday. Halloweekend has proven ... just ever so slightly ridiculous every year, without fail.

I baked some of the batter in a mini Bundt pan. Isn't it cute?!

All that starts tomorrow. Until then, I'll be studying for my Nutrition exam (this was supposed to be my easy class) and coding videos of rats until I can't stand their resemblance to giant silverfish anymore.

Look out for a pumpkin recipe, soon! In the meantime, let those bananas rot till they're super ripe and sweet, so you can make this homey bread.

Caramelized Banana Bread + Browned Butter Glaze
from Cooking Light, with adjustments. 
*my notes: I recommend mashing the bananas before adding to the pan, it's hard to mash after sauteing. 

• 2 Tb unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
• 2 medium, very ripe bananas, sliced or mashed*
• 4 oz. unsweetened applesauce (size of one snack cup)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, or diluted yogurt 
• 3 Tb canola oil 
• 2 Tb amber or dark rum 
• 2 large eggs 
• 9 oz (about 2 cups) flour (I subbed in 3/4 cup whole wheat for all-purpose) 
• 3/4 tspn baking soda 
• 1/2 tspn salt 

Glaze

• 1 Tb browned butter 
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar 
• 1 tspn maple syrup
• 1 Tb cream cheese 
• 2 - 3 tspns milk 

1. Melt butter in a pan. Add sugar and bananas. Saute 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, let cool 10 minutes, and then mash till most of the big chunks are gone. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Combine buttermilk - eggs. This is the wet mix.
4. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. This is the dry mix.
5. Add dry and wet mixtures to the banana mixture, alternating between the two (first add dry, then wet, then dry, then wet, then dry). Start and end with flour mixture. 
6. Transfer batter to a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Bread will be golden, and spring back when gently poked in the center. 
7. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Brown the 1 Tb of butter - put in pan, and let bubble and foam till fragrant and golden. Watch to prevent burning! Let cool. Combine with maple syrup, sugar, and cream cheese. Add milk to achieve desired consistency.
8. Remove bread from oven. Let cool, before spooning glaze over.