Hi friends, Happy Holidays! You may be wondering why I'm sharing a banana bread recipe in the days leading up to Christmas instead of gingerbread or something more iconic for the season. Well, because I feel like we all need to give ourselves a little reminder that simple is good. I have been planning a fantastic gingerbread house recipe and tutorial to share, but I'm going to hold off. We're all just doing our best and sometimes the most ornate, complicated, fantastic, Instagram-worthy treats are just too much when you're in the thick of life. I love a fiddly dessert recipe more than most people, but quite frankly, I am spent. After a month filled with working late into the night and then back at it before the sun, plus a schedule that just won't quit and illness that has made itself at home in our house...I just want simple, reliable, delicious, comfort food this Christmas. Do you feel the same way? I can't be alone in feeling like there's so much pressure to make/see/do/buy everything just because the calendar and the retail industry dictate as such. Don't get me wrong, I love this time of year and what it truly means. It brings my heart big joy that my toddler doesn't know what the Elf on a Shelf is but every day she has a new flavor idea for Jesus' birthday cake. Those are the things I want to embrace and cultivate in these next days, not pressuring myself to create showstopping masterpieces or to wrap the gifts to look like a department store window display. Perfect isn't necessary. Good and fulfilling is the goal. Enter Banana Bread.
A week or so ago I had been baking every day for events, custom cookie orders, etc. and I spotted some dark bananas in our fruit bowl. I immediately postponed the current task and made a loaf of this banana bread for our family to enjoy with our leftover chili on an evening when our little girls weren't feeling well and we all just wanted to be comfy and watch Christmas movies. It hit the spot. This is the recipe I've been using for a few years now but haven't shared it here before, so today seemed like a good day for it. Maybe someone else needs a little nudge to rethink the complicated menu and give yourself permission to simplify? Do it. Don't even feel like you have to bake at all. Buy something instead and allow yourself some time to unwind with your favorite magazine by the glow of the Christmas tree or your favorite scented candle.
I've gone through a lot of phases of banana bread recipes in my life, but this is the one that has secured the spot in the recipe binders that I'm creating for my daughters. Very basic, very reliable, very delicious. Sour cream adds moisture and also helps keep it light instead of dense and fudgey/overbaked at the bottom (you know exactly what I'm talking about, right?). A bit of good cinnamon adds just enough dimension to really make it special without being overpowering. That's about it. And I'm a big believer in SUPER black bananas make for the best banana bread. None of this lightly-speckled nonsense. :)
Sour Cream Banana Bread
Simple and delicious, Sour Cream Banana Bread is the perfect way to gain big enjoyment from minimal effort. Perfectly moist with just a hint of cinnamon, this is the only Banana Bread recipe you’ll ever need.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 overripe bananas, mashed
½ cup sour cream
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined. Add bananas and sour cream, mixing until thoroughly incorporated.
In a medium bowl, whisk/sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.
Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 55-70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool 10 minutes in pan before removing to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Note: For best results, use full fat sour cream. I do not recommend nonfat as it is too thin and affects the texture of the finished loaf.
Baking time may vary based upon the size and material of your loaf pan. Glass/ceramic pans tend to take closer to the 70 minute mark, whereas a metal pan can often be ready closer to the 55-60 minute time. Bread is not done until toothpick comes out clean, so please do not rely only on baking times for doneness.
Keywords: sour cream banana bread, best banana bread recipe, cinnamon banana bread
If you feel like you're stuck on a hamster wheel this season, can I recommend a book for you to read as we approach the new year? Emily Ley recently released a book called When Less Becomes More and it is an easy read filled with pure gold perspective that is sure to hit home in one way or another for many of you. I know it did for me. It's also an absolutely gorgeous book, as is everything that Emily creates. I highly recommend it. It would actually be a really great gift too particularly for young moms, entrepreneurs, working women, newlyweds, anyone really. Grace Not Perfection is another good one of hers. (Not sponsored, just sharing things I genuinely enjoy.)
In other news, my cookbook is back in stock! If you've been thinking about purchasing a copy but haven't been able to find it recently, it's available right here on my site with free shipping, and I sign all copies. It's also available at many lovely shops around Michigan, as well as on Amazon. It means so much to me when you purchase my book anywhere, but particularly if you happen to buy directly from me it makes a huge impact on my business and it means so much to me. I can't thank you all enough for your support this year.
No matter what you choose to bake or not bake this season, I hope you're able to sit back and enjoy your life and your friends and family and look forward to the year ahead! Thanks for making 2019 a memorable one here at Kitchen Joy!
Love, Mandy
Thank you for supporting my small business. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
vee
Makes an excellent loaf of banana bread. Moist, not too dense with rich flavor. The only deviation I made was adding 1 tablespoon of molasses - just because I'm a fan and it adds spicy warmth/color. Have made many a banana bread over the years and this recipe is my new favorite. Kudos to the author!
★★★★★