Brown Butter Bourbon Banana Bread (with Streusel!)

I had a whole post written about this, but there's nothing else to tell you that the title hasn't already. Brown butter. Bourbon. Streusel. (The bananas are not the important part here).

Fine. I'll try to tell you more. Brown butter and bourbon are BFF's. They totes gave each other best friend necklaces when they were in first grade and they both still have them. Sometimes I smell bourbon and think, "hmmm...smells brown buttery".

This bread. Oh, this bread. None of the components will jump up and punch you in the face. Except maybe the streusel, but that's just the way a streusel laced with big flakes of salt is in anything. As an added bonus for people who don't like bananas (aka me), the bourbon and brown butter mask a lot of the more...unpleasant flavors. Instead, its oh so subtley banana, but a major punch of nutty caramelly-ness.

 

I decided to double the streusel after I took this picture. You can thank me later.

 

Jeeze...I'm drooling again. I tried. I can't talk about this anymore. Just do it.

Brown Butter Bourbon Banana Bread (with Streusel!)

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Simply Recipes

To cut down on the already small amount of dishes, I mix the streusel in the same pan that I browned the butter in.

For the bread:

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoon bourbon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (or 3/4 cup AP, 3/4 cup white whole wheat)

For the streusel:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1/3 cup chopped, toasted pecans (optional)

Brown your butter for the bread and streusel: Heat a small, preferably light colored, saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and cook for 5 or so minutes.  The mixture will get super foamy, then kind of die down. Swirl the pan and try to get a good looks at the bottom. It should be slighly darker than toffee. Don't walk away and let it burn. Black butter is not tasty.

Make the bread: Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix 1/3 cup brown butter into the mashed bananas, in a large mixing bowl. Reserve the rest of the butter for the streusel. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the cinnamon. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered (or parchment lined) 4×8 inch loaf pan.

Make the streusel: Combine the reserved brown butter with the sugar, oats, flour, salt, and nuts. Stir until everything is well incorporated. Sprinkle on top of the banana bread batter.

Bake: for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve. Swoon.

Comments

[Em]

OMG.

When are you coming up!? (Im being serious! Im free from here on in!)

Are you bringing this!?

[Deanna]

Em-I want to so bad but July and August are pretty much booked solid. Will you still be here in September?

[Jenny @ Ichigo Shortcake]

I agree that bread and bourbon are BFFs :D This looks so good! I haven't bought bananas in so long, I'm craving for some now!

[Sydney @ The Crepes of Wrath]

I'd have a hard time not eating that streusel by the handful, to be honest. It looks so sweet and buttery and delicious - I can smell and taste it already!

[kyleen]

My mouth just watered... Brown butter and bourbon AND streusel? It looks amazing.