Revamped: Brown Butter-Roasted Banana Bread with White Chocolate Chips & Caramelized Banana Shingles

I have raved about my favorite banana bread recipe before from here. I thought that I couldn't really mess with that recipe any more because it is delicious in all its' simplicity. But, I decided to give it a go, and make this banana bread really over the top. I instead added in some brown sugar, Crème Fraiche, brown butter, and roasted bananas. The roasted bananas are something that I had seen on other blogs before, but I had never tried them before. They bake in the oven until they are dark brown and super mushy. They also have this delicious reduced banana syrup that I like to save and add into the batter as well. Then, I substituted brown butter for vegetable oil. And don't forget my secret of adding white chocolate chips, it really makes a huge difference and makes the banana bread so moist. I usually put in some toasted walnuts, but thats completely up to you. Lastly, I cut two ripe bananas into slices, shingled them on the sides of the batter, and then sprinkled the entire top of the bread and banana with some cinnamon-sugar. This cinnamon-sugar topping is awesome because it caramelizes the banana slices until golden. And the bread gets a crackly crust that just can't be beat. Please go make this revamped banana bread, it's just the perfect weekend dessert... or breakfast!! Enjoy :)

The Crackly Crust is Amazing

Look at the caramelized banana shingles...

Slices of the Banana Bread 

Good Ole' Banana Bread but with a Twist 

For the Bread:

2 Eggs

1C Sugar

2T Light Brown Sugar

2T Crème Fraiche

1t Vanilla

1C + 2/3C AP Flour

1t Baking Soda

¼t Cinnamon, Heaping

½t Salt

½C Brown Butter, Room Temperature

4 Roasted Bananas, Mashed & Room Temperature

4 Ripe Bananas

1C White Chocolate Chips

½C Toasted Walnuts, Chopped (optional)

Cinnamon-Sugar, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a loaf pan with aluminum foil and spray with Pam, then set aside (a bundt pan can also be used).
2. Roasting the Bananas: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bananas (skin on & everything) on a sheet tray that is covered with parchment paper. Bake the bananas for 20 minutes, and then flip over the bananas, and roast for another 20 minutes or until the skins are dark brown and the inside is soft. Let the roasted bananas cool, and then carefully peel them and place them into a bowl, along with any reduced banana syrup. Mash with a fork until somewhat smooth, but still some chunks remain. And then mash in 2 of the ripe bananas. Set it aside.
3. In a standing mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, then add in the crème fraiche and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the standing mixer at the lowest speed, add in the flour mixture into the wet mixture in small increments. Next, slowly drizzle in the brown butter until just incorporated.
5. Fold in the mashed bananas into the batter. Next fold in the white chocolate chips, as well as the chopped, toasted walnuts (if you are using them).
6. Pour the banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Slice the two remaining bananas diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving 1½-inch-wide space down center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle the top with some cinnamon-sugar in a thick layer over the loaf. Bake for 60-75 minutes until golden brown on top. Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove it and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.