You really can’t beat a classic banana bread when there are bananas sitting your counter and you need to do something with them. My version is enhanced with bourbon and chopped pecans for dense, moist, and delicious snack everyone will love.
Hello, all!
And why wouldn’t they love it? It’s easy to make. It’s yummy. It freezes well, so you can stash some away for the future. It’s great for breakfast, for snacks, and for dessert. When you get right down to it, classic banana bread is just about perfect! And that doesn’t even take into account all the alterations you can make to the recipe.
Variations on Banana Bread
- switch out brown sugar for the white
- sub some whole wheat flour for some of the white
- use different nuts
- use no nuts
- add in chocolate chips
- add in cocoa powder
- put in a few tablespoons of jam or marmalade (though reduce the sugar if you do this!)
- give it a streusel topping
- and more!
These are all fun versions to try and you’ll probably see various recipes for them pop up here from time to time when I have bananas and I want something a little new, but not too new.
Like my Double Chocolate Banana Bread! One bowl, easy cleanup, and all the chocolate you could want. š
My favorite version, though, is pecans and bourbon. They provide all these toasty and caramel flavors while still leaving the bread light and well balanced, not heavy.
If you try my recipe for Classic Banana Bread, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Classic Banana Bread with Bourbon and Pecans
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- 3 large very ripe bananas mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pecans. Set aside.
- Mix together butter, sugar, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and bourbon. Once it's smooth, add the banana and mix in.
- Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and fold it in with a large spatula until it's just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 325F and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Then carefully loosen the bread from the sides of the pan and turn it over onto a wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
- Toasting pecans: To toast the pecans, bake them at 350F for 5 minutes.
James S says
Can you leave out the sour cream and things would still turn out ok?
justalittlebitofbacon says
You can switch the sour cream to Greek yogurt or possibly buttermilk (though buttermilk may be too thin) but you can’t leave out the sour cream entirely.
Deanna says
Thanks! Banana bread and bourbon are my husband’s favorites!
justalittlebitofbacon says
You’re welcome. Thank you for the comment.
simonacallas says
I like overripe bananas, they have more sweetness and flavor and I can use them in dessert recipes ā¤ This one is perfect, I wouldn’t change anything š Thank you for sharing ā¤
justalittlebitofbacon says
Overripe bananas are great! I have recipes for bananas from speckled to outright black. And thank you! š
Julie says
You had me at Bourbon! Love love banana bread and next time I am trying it with bourbon. Cant wait for the spiced cream cheese!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I guess I’d better post that cream cheese recipe soon! It probably wasn’t fair to tease people like that. š
Thao says
I’m always throwing out overripe bananas. The next time, I need to make this banana bread instead. I love the addition of bourbon, and that spiced cream cheese sounds divine!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Maybe I need to post that cream cheese! I was eating the last bits of it with graham crackers today and it was yummy. š And if you stick around, you’ll see that bourbon ends up in a lot of recipes. I can’t resist adding a bit to all sorts of dishes.
Cathy | whatshouldimakefor.com says
Whenever our bananas turn brown I whip up a banana bread and your recipe looks fantastic! Love the addition of bourbon.
justalittlebitofbacon says
I think most things are better with bourbon. I’m always using it! š