Almond Butter Banana Bread

I knew when I started this project there would be recipes that intimidate me simply because the dessert may not be my taste preference. However, I am determined to expand my horizons with flavor palettes. Growing up in the Midwest, I think we often stuck to what we knew. My family certainly knows how to make some great desserts, but we all know once we have our favorites, it’s often what we crave and continue baking for years to come. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if I want to be a well-rounded baker, I gotta try new things!

However, when it comes to banana bread…I am very intimidated.

Banana bread is probably one of my most despised desserts. When I was in elementary school, there was a kid who always brought it for a treat. I would crumple it in my napkin, hide it in my fist, ask the teacher if I could go to the bathroom…and throw it away! Now looking back, it probably was a very well-made banana bread, but I just could not…until I turned to page 38 of Dessert Person and learned I would be making Almond Butter Banana Bread.

Overall, this was a very easy recipe to make. I especially enjoyed using almond butter for the first time; it smells delicious and the nutty taste is a little more elevated from the typical peanut butter I’m used to. Once I took this loaf out of the oven, it looked beautiful, and matched the picture in Claire’s book for the most part (my swirls weren't as good but whatevs).

After doing a little more research about banana bread after making this recipe, I think Claire’s recipe should have just been named Almond Butter Bread. It is very delicious; I used a crunchy almond butter (I’m not sure if there is creamy and crunchy almond butter?), and I enjoyed how much that flavor came through. However, this loaf was not as moist as the banana bread I’ve had before, but I think I now understand why.

For one, I did not use overripe bananas, and that was a mistake; I have consistently found I remember things throughout my life that people have said about various recipes after I make a recipe and realize where I went wrong. In this instance, I remembered people saying the key to good banana bread is overripe bananas. As a banana bread hater, I definitely overlooked this part. It is not clarified in the list of ingredients whether the bananas should be overripe, but Claire does mention this in the tips at the bottom of page 39 to give it the right sweetness. Even so, I looked at other banana bread recipes after making this recipe, and many recipes call for at least two cups of bananas, which equals to about three or four overripe bananas. This recipe only requires one cup of bananas, so I think either way, this is meant to be a spin on banana bread rather than just another banana bread recipe.

Since I was already scared of the idea of banana bread, I did not add roasted almonds to the mixture, which would have aligned with my other fear of nuts in a dessert (I also didn’t really need it since the almond butter was crunchy). One fear at a time, people. In conclusion, I think this is a great option if you’re looking for a breakfast-related dessert, and I’m proud of myself for conquering my banana bread fears!

Here is Claire's video on making Almond Butter Banana Bread (I am purposely not watching these videos until after I bake so I learn more!). P.S...yup, I definitely needed overripe bananas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CilyToUevz0