Classic banana bread gets a cinnamon and sugar makeover with this cinnamon swirl banana bread. I added layers of cinnamon sugar in between and on top of the bread. I included some cinnamon baking chips in the batter too!
Over the holiday break, Addie and I found a new show to watch: The Home Edit, which is on Netflix. It features two spunky women who help celebrities and ordinary folks re-organize areas of their home. It’s been insightful to understand their organizational methods and help people de-clutter their lives.
As a result, I began my own re-organizing journey. I started off by swapping out all of the hangers in my closet for the black velvet types. Then I took on some of the drawers in the kitchen, my bathroom drawers and the kitchen pantry. This organizational exercise has been extremely therapeutic for me. I probably donated close to 10 bags/boxes worth of things that we no longer need. Addie, who typically is not a neat freak like me, even asked for some storage boxes and bins to organize her bathroom and room.
One area that I have not touched yet is the refrigerator. Several months ago, we tried organizing the freezer, but it’s now back in a state of disarray. An item that seems to be randomly thrown in the freezer is the banana. We always seem to have frozen bananas. We buy them every week at the grocery store and sometimes don’t consume them all. As they start to turn brown, we put them in the freezer.
I wanted to use up all the bananas in the freezer so began a banana bread making campaign. I made the Flour Bakery banana bread twice (once with chocolate chips and once without – the chocolate chip one is better, of course). And then I made this cinnamon swirl banana bread. I added some cinnamon baking chips in for good measure. That way, it was more of a cinnamon sugar bread rather than a banana bread.
This was probably one of the best banana breads I’ve had outside of the Hawaiian islands. I loved the inclusion of the cinnamon sugar swirls and the topping. And the cinnamon baking chips definitely made a great addition as well. I’m going to be making this again and again.
Hmm, next up on my organizing to-do: find some storage bins for all the baking chips in the pantry. Off to search!
Husband’s rating: 4 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Cinnamon swirl banana bread
Ingredients
Bread
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 large bananas)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- cinnamon baking chips optional
Cinnamon sugar swirl and topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- cinnamon baking chips optional
Instructions
Make the bread
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease or a line a standard 9"x5" loaf pan and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs one by one, and then the vanilla. Mix well. Stop the mixer and fold in the mashed banana by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- Turn the mixer back on to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients, mixing until a few dry streaks remain. If desired, add in the cinnamon baking chips. Do not over mix the batter.
Make the cinnamon sugar swirl
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Assemble the bread
- Transfer one third of your batter to your baking pan. Sprinkle with one third of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Top with another third of your batter and sprinkle with another third of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Top with the remaining batter and the remaining cinnamon sugar. Then sprinkle on additional cinnamon chips if desired.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool before slicing and serving.