The Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe

1) Cinnamon Streusel Topping

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1.25 cups all purpose flour

Mix all ingredients with a fork until it's clumping together.

Refrigerate while you continue making the other recipe components.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

2) Banana Bread

• 1/2 cup melted butter, cooled to room temp.
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temp.
• 1/4 cup sour cream, room temp.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 medium bananas, overripe
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

Mix butter, sugars, vanilla, eggs, sour cream, and mashed bananas on low-medium speed in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. If you mix by hand, stir until well incorporated.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until JUST combined. It's better to leave a few specks of flour before you overmix this batter - your muffins will be gummy and hard.

Spoon a layer of the banana bread into your tin. I usually do a standard muffin or mini muffin, but I've had success baking loaves, too.

3) Pumpkin Spice Filling

• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin spice

Add a layer of spice filling on top of the banana bread. If you're making muffins, add a spoonful to each one.

Add the remaining banana bread batter.

Retrieve the cinnamon streusel from the fridge, and sprinkle generously allover!

Bake until a toothpick comes away clean. I famously neglect to time my bakes... start with ~12-18 minutes depending on the size of muffin/loaf; assess and continue baking as needed. If you're doing a true loaf of banana bread rather than muffins, mini muffins, or mini loaves, expect to bake for longer. 

Remove muffin tins from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.

4) Vanilla Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons milk

Once muffins have cooled, drizzle each with vanilla icing.

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The last time I brought these muffins into an office, several of my colleagues questioned their homemade status. I had baked them in tall bakery style paper liners, individually wrapped them in cellophane, and tied labels on with ribbon, each muffin proudly displaying sugary crowns of streusel and icing.