brown butter – FoodWatcher

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Brown Butter Banana Bread

This brown butter banana bread will have everyone talking—it stars the nutty richness of brown butter and a luscious salted…

This brown butter banana bread will have everyone talking—it stars the nutty richness of brown butter and a luscious salted caramel glaze. It’s a family favorite that everyone goes crazy for!

Brown Butter Banana Bread with salted caramel glaze

Why we love this recipe

There’s banana bread—and then there’s this brown butter banana bread recipe. There’s just something about the sultry nutty richness of brown butter that keeps us coming back for more. This moist, sweet scented banana bread is delightful on its own, but add the salted caramel glaze on top for pure banana bread decadence.

We first made this banana bread inspired by the browning bananas on our counter and a friend recovering from surgery. It turned out so delicious that we’ve been making it ever since. I mean, what’s not to love about brown butter, salted caramel and banana bread all in one bite? It’s transcendental.

Featured reader comment

I absolutely love this banana bread. The glaze is that little extra something that puts it over the top and makes it a little different from all the other bazillion of banana bread recipes out there. I bet it would be really really good with some whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. That would be quite the dessert! -Annika

Ingredient notes for brown butter banana bread

The main requirement for banana bread is the ripest bananas you can find! This is the perfect use for those bananas blackening on the counter. Here’s what you’ll need here:

Very ripe bananas: The riper the bananas, the better: very dark brown or black bananas are best.
Unsalted butter: Using unsalted butter allows the salt content to be controlled by the amount specified in the recipe. You can substitute salted butter; just use slightly salt than specified in the recipe below (¼ teaspoon).
Granulated sugar: If you’re planning to omit the glaze, use 1 cup granulated sugar instead of ¾ cup.
Eggs: For vegan, you can try substituting a flax egg.
Baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon: These ingredients round out the flavoring in the bread.
All purpose flour and whole wheat flour: A small amount of whole wheat flour enhances the nutty flavor of the butter. You can use 100% all purpose flour if desired.
Salted caramel glaze: The glaze is optional, but it really takes this banana bread over the top! We’d recommend it if at all possible. You’ll need brown sugar, powdered sugar, more unsalted butter, heavy cream, and salt.

How to make brown butter

This star in this recipe is brown butter: which is simply standard butter cooked a bit longer until the milk solids toast and turn golden brown. This gives the butter a nutty and caramelized flavor that adds depth and richness to dishes. You’ll want it to become very brown, then remove it from the heat right before it burns. Here are the steps for how to brown butter:

Step 1: Heat until the butter starts to foam.

Step 1: Place the butter in a large skillet, cut into pieces. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally. First the butter melts, then it starts to foam (around 1 ½ minutes if browning 1 stick of butter).

Step 2: Continue to stir until it starts to bubble.

Step 2: Continue to stir occasionally until the foaming stops and the butter starts to bubble, typically around 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 3: Cook until the butter turns brown.

Step 3: Continue to stir occasionally until the butter becomes brown in color and starts to smell nutty, around 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately remove the butter from the heat and pour it into a bowl to cool.

Storing leftovers

This brown butter banana bread stores well. The bread lasts 4 to 5 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil, refrigerated for 10 days, or frozen for 3 months.

If you’re planning to freeze the bread, it’s best to freeze it without the icing. Slice it into pieces and wrap it in plastic wrap then a freezer-safe bag or container.

More brown butter recipes

Love brown butter? Try our brown butter chocolate chip cookies, brown butter pancake with maple caramel syrup, or our brown butter sage sauce.

How to Brown Butter

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Brown Butter Pancakes with Maple Caramel Syrup

Dietary notes

This brown butter banana bread recipe is vegetarian. For vegan, use flax eggs and coconut milk for the caramel.

Frequently asked questions

Can I skip browning the butter?

Actually yes! This recipe is still delicious with normal butter; just melt it first.

How do I know when the butter is browned enough?

The butter will start to foam and sizzle, then turn a golden brown color and release a nutty aroma. Be careful not to burn it!

Can I add other mix-ins to this recipe?

Absolutely! Chopped walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, caramel chips, or peanut butter chips would all make delicious additions.

Can I substitute the heavy cream in the glaze?

You can try using whole milk or coconut milk, but the glaze may not be as thick or rich.

Brown Butter Banana Bread

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Author: Sonja and Alex Overhiser
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 12 pieces

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Description

This brown butter banana bread will have everyone talking—it stars the nutty richness of brown butter and a luscious salted caramel glaze. It’s a family favorite that everyone goes crazy for!

Ingredients

For the brown butter banana bread

1 ½ cups mashed very ripe bananas (4 medium bananas)
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar (see Notes), plus more for topping
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for topping
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup [140 g] all-purpose flour
½ cup [70 g] whole wheat flour

For the salted caramel glaze (optional)

¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 plus ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

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Instructions

Preheat: Preheat oven to 350 °F. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan (or 8 x 4 inch loaf pan).
Brown the butter: Place the butter (sliced into pieces) in a skillet over medium heat. Heat for a few minutes until it melts, turns foamy, and then starts to become golden brown in color and smells nutty. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool for a minute before adding to the batter.
Make the batter: Mash the bananas in the bottom of a large bowl, enough for 1 ½ cups. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the browned butter once it’s ready.
Add the baking soda, cinnamon, kosher salt, all-purpose flour, and whole wheat flour to another bowl and mix. Add to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir together with a spoon.
Bake: Pour the batter into the loaf pan. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Bake 55 to 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean (or the internal temperature is 200°F): the exact timing will depend on the size of the pan.
Cool: Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge and invert the loaf onto a cooling rack.
Add the Salted Caramel Glaze (optional): If desired, when the bread is room temperature, place the brown sugar and butter in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisking constantly, cook 1 minute until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the whipping cream. Whisk in the powdered sugar and salt and stir until smooth. Taste and add additional salt if desired. Drizzle over the bread. Allow the glaze to dry for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve: Slice into pieces and serve. The bread lasts 4 to 5 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil, refrigerated for 10 days, or frozen for 3 months. For freezing, omit the icing, slice it into pieces and wrap it in plastic wrap then a freezer-safe bag or container.

Notes

*If not making the glaze, consider using 1 cup sugar in the banana bread.

Category: Quick bread
Method: Baked
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

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Brown Butter Pancakes with Maple Caramel Syrup

These brown butter pancakes are irresistibly good, served a salted maple caramel syrup. This simple twist on the classic breakfast…

These brown butter pancakes are irresistibly good, served a salted maple caramel syrup. This simple twist on the classic breakfast favorite takes your pancakes to a whole new level of deliciousness!

Why we love this recipe

Hello and welcome to your new favorite breakfast! Alex and I came together to create an over-the-top breakfast recipe and we came up with these brown butter pancakes. Brown butter infuses a nutty essence to the pancakes, and what takes them sky high is the salted maple caramel syrup, which covers everything in salty sweet gooeyness. We are absolutely obsessed with

This recipe is a collaboration to celebrate BUTTER, a fine art fair that features artwork made by Black visual artists from Indiana and across the country. It’s one of our favorite events in the city! So we made a custom recipe starring, of course, butter in all its best forms. Learn more about BUTTER below* and buy tickets here.

Ingredient notes for brown butter pancakes

Brown butter pancakes are a fun way to take a simple pancakes recipe over the top. The brown butter infuses nutty, caramelized notes into the pancakes. But even better is the maple caramel syrup: it really takes the cake here! It brings out the sweet, salty, and nutty notes in a way that’s indescribable. We’d recommend making it if at all possible! Here are a few ingredient notes:

Unsalted butter: The level of saltiness in salted butter varies. So using unsalted butter allows the salt content to be controlled by the amount specified in the recipe. You can also use salted butter here if it’s all you have; just use slightly salt than specified in the pancakes (¼ teaspoon).
All purpose flour and whole wheat flour: We like adding a little whole wheat flour to pancakes to make them heartier and add a slightly nutty flavor. You can use 100% all purpose flour if desired.
Milk: Use your milk of choice, either whole, 2%, skim, or non-dairy milk.
Brown sugar: Use granulated sugar if desired.
Egg: For vegan, substitute a flax egg.
Baking powder, salt, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar: These ingredients round out the pancakes. The vinegar helps the pancakes to be fluffy: substitute any other type of vinegar if you don’t have it on hand.

Tips for the maple caramel syrup

The maple caramel syrup really carries the flavor here! It’s a salted syrup so the salty sweet flavor really takes the pancakes over the top. Here are a few notes and tips for making it:

Find pure maple syrup. You’ll want pure maple syrup, not artificially flavored. We like syrup marked “Grade A: Dark Color Robust Taste.”
Use heavy cream to add thickness. The cream adds thickness and shine to the syrup. For vegan, use full ft coconut milk.
Customize the salt to taste. We like it with ¼ teaspoon salt, but you can use more or less as desired.

Brown Butter Pancakes with Maple Caramel

How to make brown butter

Brown butter is regular butter cooked a bit longer until the milk solids toast and turn golden brown, creating a nutty and caramelized flavor that adds depth and richness to dishes. You’ll want it to become very brown, then remove it from the heat right before it burns. Here are the steps for browning butter:

Step 2: Continue to stir occasionally until the foaming stops and the butter starts to bubble, typically around 4 to 5 minutes.

Storing leftovers

Leftover pancakes store up to 5 days refrigerated. Leftover maple caramel stores refrigerated for up to 3 days; gently re-warm it on the stovetop before serving.

More brown butter recipes

Love brown butter anything, like we do? Learn how to brown butter, make our brown butter chocolate chip cookies, or try our brown butter sage sauce.

How to Brown Butter

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Dietary notes

This brown butter pancakes with maple caramel recipe is vegetarian. For vegan, use a flax egg, non-dairy milk, and coconut milk for the caramel. For gluten-free, try our almond flour pancakes with brown butter.

*About BUTTER

BUTTER is a multi-day fine art fair organized by GANGGANG that features artwork made by Black visual artists from Indiana and across the country. GANGGANG is a cultural development and creative advocacy firm that works to center beauty, culture, and equity in systems and cities, testing new more equitable models with experiments like BUTTER.

Anchored in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend, BUTTER honors and amplifies the value and worth of Black artists, serving as a new model for economic justice in the arts and a catalyst for career transformation. Buy tickets here.