Brown Butter-Cardamom & Walnut Banana Bread

I had read somewhere “You don’t plan banana bread…the bananas do,”. Browning bananas languishing on kitchen counters around the world have only one purpose in life: to be turned into banana bread. Or if it is raining, snowing or both and you need something sweet cake-like but not cake to go with your coffee, and then everyone is stuck indoors and you are going through the rolodex of recipes in your brain that requires one bowl, and feeds a dozen, then I have just the recipe for you—a very fall-like banana bread (well, technically a cake, but let’s just call it bread)

There are many variations of banana bread, but you can transform the everyday boring version with just two ingredients. have you Ever thought what might happen when you add the rich, nutty depth of brown butter and the warm, aromatic touch of cardamom? You get a banana bread that goes from every day to extraordinary—into a whole new territory of flavor.

If you have never browned butter (or beurre noisette in French) before, you’re in for a treat. It’s simply butter that’s gently heated until the milk solids sink to the bottom and caramelize, transforming it into a golden-brown liquid with a deeply toasty, nutty flavor that infuses the bread with irresistible richness. While it shares similarities with ghee, the key difference is that ghee involves removing the milk solids altogether, while in brown butter, they stay and are caramelized for extra depth.

Then there is the cardamom—which adds a subtle warmth. a spice often used in Indian, Middle Eastern and Nordic cooking, known for its delicate and sweet, warm, and slightly citrusy flavor with a hint of floral and herbal notes.

Now, imagine blooming cardamom powder in this nutty butter. What you get is a harmonious blend of rich, aromatic flavors that elevate this banana bread, making it feel as though it were crafted in a charming bakery nestled in the heart of a bustling spice market.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons salted butter (1 stick)
1¼ teaspoons ground cardamom
2 cups mashed banana
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (light brown works as well)
2 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 tablespoon white sugar (to sprinkle on the top)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 350°F
Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, cook the butter 4-5 minutes until it is fragrant and deep brown.
Turn off the heat and immediately whisk in the cardamom powder.
Add the mashed bananas and whisk to combine.
To this add the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract, then thoroughly whisk to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and, fold until just combined and no dry flour remains.
Finally, fold in the chopped nuts before pouring the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with the white sugar.
Bake until the loaf is well browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, and the top is cracked about 50 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn out the loaf and cool completely before serving.
Cooled bread can be wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerated for up to 1 week, and frozen for up to 3 months.

Watch me make it here:

Notes:

If you don’t have a 9×5-inch loaf pan, you can make this bread into muffins instead. Divide the batter between 24 lined muffin tin wells. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.
You can toss an extra few tablespoons of chopped pecans or walnuts with the sugar on the top of the bread.
The riper the bananas, the deeper banana flavor.