We keep a lot of bananas in the house, and with that comes many opportunities to make banana bread. The only problem is, I can never just make plain ol’ banana bread. I have to experiment with it. This has been one of the biggest hits yet.

I love baking quick bread, which is just slightly healthier cake, in a loaf pan. It’s easier than making muffins, and a great thing to have around with kids in the house. I’d much rather feed the kids banana bread than cookies. We also love to toast banana bread and eat open face, spread with peanut butter or Kerrygold for breakfast. It may not be the healthiest choice, but it is healthier than most of the processed muffins and breakfast goods you can buy at the store. That’s a win for me!

There is a very important baking step that I’m asking you not to skip, you HAVE TO brown the butter and you MUST toast the coconut and pecans. If you skip those steps, this bread will not have the depth of flavor that makes it so astonishingly delicious.

Brown Butter Toasted Coconut & Pecan Banana Bread

1 stick + 1 tbsp. salted butter
2 large ripe bananas
1 c. sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. canned coconut cream or whole milk
2 c. all purpose flour
1 + 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1/4 c. pecans

In a saucepan melt your butter on medium, once it starts foaming, turn down a hair and keep swirling the milk solids with a wooden spoon as they toast. After the granules at the bottom of the pan become golden brown (5-7 minutes), pour into a heat-safe container and set aside to cool.

At 350 degrees toast the coconut and pecans together for 8-12 minutes until the shredded coconut is golden. Leave it on the counter and resist the urge to munch on it while you prepare the batter.

Once the butter has started to cool and become slightly more opaque, but still melted, it’s at a safe temperature to start blending your ingredients. I use a Vitamix, but my mom uses a food processor for her banana bread, and they both yield similar results.

Blend bananas, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth. Add butter and milk. Add all the dry ingredients blend together until there are no pockets of flour left, about 20 seconds. Add the coconut and pecan and pulse 5-8 times until the pecans are nicely broken up into small pieces and everything is combined properly.

Pour into a buttered, floured pan. I like to lay one strip of parchment paper across just the bottom lengthwise to help me lift the loaf out. Cook 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees.

Optional: with 15-20 minutes left to bake you can prepare a quick egg wash of 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, and I brush it on the top of the bread, and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar for a crackly crust.