This cinnamon sugar banana pecan bread is a healthy treat topped with smashed raspberry butter.
A few years ago, I traveled for work a lot.
Diamond member at Hilton, elite member at National and platinum level on Delta kind of a lot.
I’d be excited at the beginning of each trip but by the time I was headed to the airport to fly home, I’d start fantasizing my arrival.
In my head it went something like this:
Pull into the driveway and see Ulysses and Ginger waiting for me with the garage door already open.
I’d kiss Ulysses hello, he’d grab my stuff from the car and bring it inside for me while I pet a maniacal Weimaraner whose stub tail would wag so fast it’d look like it was about to fall off.
We’d go inside, the house would be just the way I left it, sink clean, dishes away, stove without any grease splatters.
Depending on the time, dinner would be made or even just takeout ready to eat (hey, I’m not picky) and we’d talk about our respective time apart.
The reality of what would happen however would play out more like this:
Pull into the driveway, see the light on upstairs in Ulysses’ office, pray he looked up from his video game playing to see my headlights coming up the driveway and come downstairs to help me unload the car.
Open the garage door, bring in my purse and work bag and immediately get pummeled by a maniacal Weimaraner (at least I could count on Ginger) while I start yelling and flashing lights in the house to let my husband who has headphones that rival airline pilots’ on and hasn’t heard me come in know I’m home.
Go back out to the car, schlep my suitcase in, walk into the kitchen and find mail scattered about, a dirty sink, a pile of dishes that are “drying” so big that half the counter is covered and no milk, eggs or bananas left in the house.
I sigh as he finally makes his way downstairs and try to remember that feeling of homesickness I had a few hours earlier in the airport to keep myself from flipping out on my husband whom I haven’t seen in 3 or 4 days.
Fast forward a few years and I’m driving home from a fun filled weekend of wine, food and friends at the Martha’s Vineyard wine festival last night and my mind starts doing the same thing as if it suffered from a mild case of travel dementia and couldn’t remember the logical outcome.
I walked into the house to be greeted by the same maniacal Weimaraner, a sink with a dirty coffee pot, a drain full of food particles, mail scattered about the counter, a greasy stove top and the baking pan that cooked this bread 5 days earlier still in the drying area (because after 5 years of living here, my husband still has no idea which cabinet bakeware goes in).
At least there are 2 bananas on the counter and enough milk and eggs for breakfast.
This cinnamon sugar banana bread however, not a slice to be found.
Try these other banana bread recipes too:
Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
Cinnamon Sugar Banana Pecan Bread with Raspberry Butter
Ingredients
For the Bread
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, divided
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
For the Butter
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup raspberries
Instructions
For the Bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan with baking spray.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Add the pecans, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and 1 tablespoons of the coconut sugar and toss to combine.
- Toast the mixture for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, remaining cinnamon and remaining coconut sugar in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the remaining wet ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add the wet to the dry and mix until mostly incorporated, fold in the pecan mixture and mix again until fully incorporated.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack.
For the Butter
- Gently mash the raspberries into the softened butter in a small bowl. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes to set and take out a few minutes before serving so it will spread easier.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
My house is the same way when I arrive home from traveling. It always looks like the hubs stepped out of a dark hole when I get home, as if he’s been sitting in the dark basement playing Xbox all weekend. This bread sounds amazing, and that buttah is so vibrant.
Haha! I have similar experiences with my fiance… we’ve figured out that his “care level” is just much higher than mine: a lot more can happen before he cares. This bread sounds absolutely fantastically amazing! I love banana bread, but pecans and raspberry butter?! You’ve upped the banana bread game.
haha, “care level” I love that :)
Are you serious? This recipe sounds absolutely amazing! I’m a huge fan of all of the ingredients…and then you went and added raspberry butter. Pinning so I will remember to try it soon!!
Wow, this looks amazing! Raspberry butter also sounds very incredible! I can only imagine how wonderful it tastes!
I like that this bread looks like a happy rendezvous of wholesomeness and treatness. Bonus points for coconut oil! I love its buttery flavor in breads.
Payback for your transgressions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love banana bread! And that raspberry butter… yes, please. :)
Oh wow that sounds awesome. I wish I had a slice for breakfast this morning. :) Smashed raspberry butter sounds sooo good.
This looks incredible! Awhile back I made some banana bread with strawberry butter and I am loving the idea of using raspberries now too! I love banana bread so so much! It has its own board for me – pinned :)
You just took banana bread to a WHOLE new level! Cinnamon sugar, pecans and RASPBERRY BUTTER?! Mind blown.
Pinned!
P.s, from IG, it looks like you had a great weekend!