Josephine’s Banana Bread with a Candied Nut Crust

Ok, so I don’t usually have a lot of leftover candied nuts after Christmas is over, but I was gifted some from friends and family who gave the recipe a try after I posted it on the blog. And we didn’t get to see everyone we usually see this year, baby time means less visiting time, so I saved a few jars just in case. It was so nice to try different takes on this recipe, especially since I had the chance to taste some savoury nuts as well. It’s so awesome to see different versions of this recipe; it really never gets old and boy are these nuts versatile!

This month’s recipe is Banana Bread by request. Yes, by request. Apparently I make a lot of loaves (cranberry, zucchini and lemon loaf, just to name a few) but have not made banana bread, my husband’s and most recently my son’s favourite, in a long time. So I decided it was time to make this coveted loaf, but I wanted to do something a little different. After reviewing a few different versions of a traditional banana bread, I loved the idea of using maple syrup instead of sugar (as suggested in Three Times a Day), but I am a bit of a crust fanatic and really wanted to add something crispy to top off the loaf. I considered using regular nuts, a staple in many banana bread recipes, and then I thought about adding chestnuts (something I am so excited to start using in future cooking/baking feats) but my husband and I agreed that it wouldn’t give the crunchy texture I was looking for. Then one day, while staring at some lonely jars of candied nuts, it hit me. Banana bread with a candied nut crumble! Just another way to share the joy that is candied nuts! So here it is folks and I have to say, I am super excited share this one because it really exceeded my expectations. Always a pleasant surprise when you’re trying something completely different.

*If you don’t have any candied nuts kicking around, be sure to check out the recipe from my Christmas post here.

BANANA BREAD WITH A CANDIED NUT CRUST

INGREDIENTS

for the bread

2 ripe bananas

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup butter (melted)

1 cup pure maple syrup

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

½ cup milk (I used lactose free)

1 ½ cups white flour

½ cup of whole-wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/8^th tsp salt

½ cup crushed candied almonds

for the crust

1 ½ cups crushed candied almonds

1 tbsp melted butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

Crush 2 cups of candied almonds using a blender. (separate for 1 ½ cups for crust and ½ cup for the bread).

In one bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Add yogurt, milk, eggs, maple syrup, ½ cup of melted butter and cinnamon. Beat well.

In another bowl, combine both types of flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add this to the wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in ½ a cup of crushed candied almonds.