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52 Reviews
Chris V.
May 8, 2022
So good! A few notes based on other comments I read:
1. To amp up the bourbon taste, I served it with butter that I whipped with a small splash of bourbon.
2. Some people complained it turned out too dense. My first guess is that the batter might have been overbeaten in those cases, especially after some flour is added. Overbeating will make the proteins thicken and tighten up, and the whole thing will be unpleasantly dense. I mixed it all with a rubber spatula rather than a stand mixer and it turned out great.
3. As far as sweetness and banana flavor, you want those bananas SUPER ripe. Like, brown all over and on the verge of no longer being fresh. If your bananas get overripe you can keep them in the freezer and thaw them out to make banana bread. The ones you caramelize for this recipe don't need to be as brown.
1. To amp up the bourbon taste, I served it with butter that I whipped with a small splash of bourbon.
2. Some people complained it turned out too dense. My first guess is that the batter might have been overbeaten in those cases, especially after some flour is added. Overbeating will make the proteins thicken and tighten up, and the whole thing will be unpleasantly dense. I mixed it all with a rubber spatula rather than a stand mixer and it turned out great.
3. As far as sweetness and banana flavor, you want those bananas SUPER ripe. Like, brown all over and on the verge of no longer being fresh. If your bananas get overripe you can keep them in the freezer and thaw them out to make banana bread. The ones you caramelize for this recipe don't need to be as brown.
melissa426
December 14, 2021
Like others, i found this version (which i truly looking forward to) dense and tasteless. Also did not cook through the bottom. I will use a basic recipe next time and add the booze with the brown sugar and make a sort of caramel with it.
amey C.
December 3, 2021
I only put 1/2 cup of sugar in as I try to limit my sugar intake but still good
( also added a touch of cinnamon)
Loved the addition of the caramélized banana chunks !
( also added a touch of cinnamon)
Loved the addition of the caramélized banana chunks !
Patricia
November 30, 2021
I will just add that I don't use eggs, so I used the flax seed egg. I turned out just great.
Felicia S.
January 26, 2021
This bread was extremely disappointing. It was flavorless and dense. I will not make this recipe again. It was a waste of all the ingredients. I will remove this recipe from my banana bread recipe collection.
Miriam
August 12, 2020
Of course the baking time will vary based on the kitchen- this recipe turned out amazing. I used rum extract instead of bourbon and don’t regret it one bit. Moist, rich flavor, and barely last two days.
TeresaT
June 13, 2020
I'm disappointment, it said 50-1 hour to bake, took it out 10 min early bec it looked done. Came out dense and hard, I think it should have cooked in way less time. Not my go to but was hoping it would. Did not appreciate the banana/sugar mix or the bourbon flavor so extra work was not appreciated. Sorry, but like the pancakes and lemon cake!
NXL
April 7, 2020
The flavors are great. Really picked up the brown sugar, brown butter and buttery bourbon. Totally worth the time and effort. My only criticism is that the ingredient 'bananas' is not precise enough for baking where the proportions really matter. Giving the weight without peels would have been more helpful.
jared999
March 22, 2020
Very time consuming and not worth the effort. Lacking in flavor and sweetness.
Alexis
September 22, 2019
Save time & dishes by using one sauté pan to first brown the butter, then toast the pecans, and finally caramelize the bananas. Made a mini-loafs, perfect size, with a bake time of ~25 minutes. Generous with my bourbon pour, along with a bit in the caramelized bananas to “foster” them (+ pinch of cinnamon). Solid recipe.
Mark T.
September 21, 2019
This needs a 9x5 pan. The recipe didn’t say what size to use, I used a 8x4 and it took over an hour to bake. Can tell the outside is over cooked and the inside barely done.
Octopus A.
April 7, 2019
Loved these muffins! I knew it was a keeper the minute I tasted the batter off the spatula! Made a few adjustments...didn’t carmelize the bananas because I’m not a huge banana fan and thought it would be a bit too banana-y! Didn’t mash bananas but blended while to leave some chunks for texture. Toasted walnuts because that’s all I had. Added the bourbon and thought it was perfect flavoring for teenagers. Not too boozy but nice additional layer of flavor. Baked as mufffins instead of loaf. Nice crumb and great layers from browned butter and bourbon. Definitely adding to the weekend breakfast rotation. Teen friendly.
Debbi S.
May 2, 2018
I’m always looking for the perfect banana bread. This was good, but the browned butter and bourbon were lost flavors in this bread. Mine was moist and good, but not my go-to which I’m still looking for.
mychicago
January 8, 2018
Made this with gluten free flour (blend from jovial) and substituted slivered almonds and almond extract for the pecans and bourbon since I didn't have those. It came out pretty good - moist, not too sweet, crunchy. If I had bourbon I would add that too. Got to make sure not to overbake tho, otherwise it will dry out.
Curlytexan
April 30, 2017
I'm not a big fan of banana bread, but the hubby is so I find myself making it from time to time, I didn't find the few extra steps overly cumbersome. The bread is a bit lighter and cake like as opposed to some other dense moist recipes I've tried over the years. That being said, it's still more dense than a cake. It smelled cloyingly sweet while baking and I was afraid it might taste that way too, but the sweetness wasn't overpowering. I don't know that the bourbon was particularly notable in the finished product. What really mattered is that it got the thumbs up from the banana bread comsumers in the house. They gave this recipe a definite yes!
dfcourtright
February 20, 2017
very not into this recipe--super complicated and the bread turned out very dry bready and not moist fally aparty banana bread. don't recommend.
Marale G.
February 1, 2017
I made this a while ago and it was so good! Moist as ever--just how I like it :)
Lesley
October 23, 2016
This is good, but not sure if all the extra steps were worth it. The bourbon and buttermilk and brown butter got lost after it baked. It's by no means a loss, it's very tasty banana bread, but a bit of a let down, flavor wise.
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