Jalapeno Banana Bread

During my Beer-Pickled Jalapeno post, I promised a sweet dish that utilized the spicy jalapeno.  Here it is!

I have been fortunate enough to attend quite a few out-of-state trainings this past school year.   Since I was the only one from work attending, I was forced to engage and make some new friends during each trip.   I probably enjoyed my table-mates the most at my Phoenix training in January.  (And, what a better time to travel to Arizona than during the heart of the winter.)

As we lunched one day, the subject of food and family traditions came up.   One of my delightful fellow trainees started talking about recipes in her family.   Two things stuck with me and I jotted them down as soon as we got back to the conference:  Jalapeno Banana Bread and Pineapple Upside Down Cake made with a carrot cake recipe.

Although the cake may show up later, I had a plethora of gnarly bananas to use and since I had just plucked some fresh jalapenos from the garden I decided to experiment.  I used my mom’s base recipe and just tweaked it a bit.

Jalapeno Banana Bread

Debra

Don’t be afraid of these ingredients. The jalapenos add another level of flavor without a lot of spice.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. canola-butter spread
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 2 farm fresh eggs
  • 1 c. very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced (about 1/4 cup)
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together canola-butter spread and sugar. Mix until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing. Add mashed bananas and jalapenos; mix until fully incorporated.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. With the mixer running on lowest speed, add the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Mix until just combined.  Don’t over mix.
  5. Spray two small loaf pans (81/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2) with cooking spray. Divide batter between the two pans and bake for 1 hour.
  6. Remove from oven when done and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.Slice and serve.

Yield: 2 loaves

Prep Time: 15 mins.

Cook time: 60 mins.

Total time: 75 mins.

Do not be afraid of this flavor combination.

A warm slice, just out of the oven, had a bit of “green” overtones, making The Hubs think that I might have used zucchini.   After it had set for a day, the jalapeno flavor was more pronounced.   Because the seeds were removed from the peppers, there’s not a great deal of heat, just a hint.

Although it’s not your typical banana bread (like mom’s), it is differently delicious and a great way to use some of the jalapeno surplus from the garden.

If you have even more jalapenos, check out my last post for Beer-Pickled Jalapenos.  And, wait for an upcoming post—a spicy white bean dip using these same jalapenos.  (We love them!)

17 comments to Jalapeno Banana Bread