For many people, banana bread is really more of a treat for the colder months – packed with calories and energy, which are always useful in the fall and winter, right? But in our house, banana bread goes in and out of the oven all year round, because we always have bananas lying around the kitchen that are overripe and brown. And that’s precisely the kind of overripe bananas you need for this delicious Toblerone Browned Butter Banana Bread. Why did Toblerone end up in the banana bread? Well, because it makes it taste even better! What a question?!
Seriously though… We always have bananas lying around in the kitchen that nobody wants to use them for snacking when they’re too dark, too ripe (and smelly). Maybe we could avoid that by shopping more strategically, but then we’d bake less banana bread. That can’t be the point, after all, right?
I really like baking and snacking on banana bread. As a diabetic, this treat isn’t ideal for me in most cases, but occasionally you just have to let things slide. It’s not like anyone here is shoveling half a loaf of banana bread into their mouth in one sitting… Those days are definitely over. Nowadays, we (meaning I) are a bit more in control when it comes to snacks. It’s ok to indulge a little now and then – instead of always holding back. That just puts everyone in a bad mood. I speak from experience!
Anyway. Bananas and chocolate are a great combination. It gets even better when you add browned butter to the mix. It might sound “fancy” to some at first, but it’s basically just butter you melt and then it let simmer for a while until the milk solids in the butter turn brown and caramelize. Browned butter smells and tastes a little nutty, and that’s precisely the flavor that goes perfectly with the chocolate and banana in this banana bread…
If you’re smart, you’ll make a lot more browned butter than you actually need. Whenever good old butter is on sale in supermarkets, it’s worth turning a whole chunk of it into browned butter. You can easily store browned butter in the fridge for several months and then use it in all sorts of recipes, not just sweet stuff. Browned butter is also great for pasta dishes, veggies, and other savory dishes.
Let’s go back to the question from the beginning – why did I have to add Toblerone to the banana bread? It hasn’t really been answered 100% yet, right? Well, chocolate always works well in banana bread, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be Toblerone. That’s for sure. But just like with the overripe bananas, in this case I simply had a bag of mini Toblerones lying around in the kitchen that needed to be used up.
Even though we rarely buy sweets to snack on these days, sometimes something still ends up at our house. Whether it’s because someone felt like buying it or because something was given as a gift. That was the case with the Toblerone. Someone brought it back for us from a vacation. A last-minute purchase from the airport duty-free shop, I assume. I don’t complain about that type of last-minute gift. As you can see, you can turn them into something really delicious!
Well. Of course, you can use other chocolate for this banana bread as well. No problem at all. If you like this combination and might want to throw in a few nuts as well, you should maybe also check out our Banana Bread with Chocolate & Walnuts. A really delicious banana bread version I might add! You could also jazz that one up a bit by using browned butter instead of regular butter.
However, banana bread can also be a bit healthier. If that works for you. Our Honey, Oats & Pecan Banana Bread is made with wholemeal spelt flour, oats, and honey instead of regular white sugar. The result is, purely mathematically speaking, a little healthier than other banana bread versions, but by no means any less delicious. Just sayin’.
INGREDIENTS / INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS / PREPARATION
1. For the browned butter, add the butter to a small saucepan and heat it up. Melt the butter and let it cook until small dark bacon appears on the bottom of the saucepan. The butter should start smelling slightly nutty. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a loaf tin* (about 30x12cm) and line it with a strip of baking parchment. Mash the bananas and set them aside.
3. Add the brown sugar and melted browned butter to a large bowl and mix for a few minutes until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Next, add the milk and vanilla extract and mix them in as well. Finally, add the mashed bananas and mix them in. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add it to the bowl and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix! Break the mini Toblerone bars into pieces, add them to the batter, and fold in.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, smooth out the top, and bake the banana bread for about 50-55 minutes – or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the banana bread comes out clean. Remove the banana bread from the oven and let it cool down for some time inside the baking tin, then lift it out with the baking parchment and let it cool down completely on a wire rack.
1. For the browned butter, put the butter in a small pot and heat it on the stove and simmer until you can see small dark dots on the bottom of the pot and everything smells slightly nutty. Remove from the heat and let cool a little.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) top/bottom heat. Lightly grease a loaf tin* (approx. 30x12cm) and line it with a strip of baking paper. Mash the bananas and set aside.
3. Beat the cooled, browned butter with the brown sugar in a large bowl for a while until both are well combined. Add the eggs one at a time and stir in well. Add milk and vanilla extract and stir in. Next, add the mashed bananas and stir well. Mix the flour with baking powder and salt, then add to the bowl and stir in just briefly. Break up the mini Toblerone, add it to the dough and fold in.
4. Pour the dough into the prepared loaf pan, smooth it out and then Bake for about 50-55 minutes – use a wooden skewer to test whether the dough still sticks and only remove the banana bread when it comes out clean. Take the finished banana bread out of the oven, let it cool in the tin for a while, then lift it out of the tin with the baking paper and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
One of our favorite banana bread versions: Toblerone Browned Butter Banana Bread. The nutty flavors of browned butter makes everything better!
1. For the browned butter, add the butter to a small saucepan and heat it up. Melt the butter and let it cook until small dark bacon appears on the bottom of the saucepan. The butter should start smelling slightly nutty. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a loaf tin* (about 30x12cm) and line it with a strip of baking parchment. Mash the bananas and set them aside.
3. Add the brown sugar and melted browned butter to a large bowl and mix for a few minutes until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Next, add the milk and vanilla extract and mix them in as well. Finally, add the mashed bananas and mix them in. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add it to the bowl and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix! Break the mini Toblerone bars into pieces, add them to the batter, and fold in.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, smooth out the top, and bake the banana bread for about 50-55 minutes – or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the banana bread comes out clean. Remove the banana bread from the oven and let it cool down for some time inside the baking tin, then lift it out with the baking parchment and let it cool down completely on a wire rack.
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