Snickerdoodle Banana Bread (Printable)

Moist banana bread layered with a cinnamon-sugar swirl, bringing snickerdoodle cookie flavor to every slice.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
07 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
08 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
09 - 1/4 cup brown sugar
10 - 2 large eggs
11 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl and Topping

12 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
13 - 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

# How-To:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
03 - In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.
04 - Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the texture light.
05 - In a small bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon for the swirl and topping.
06 - Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the surface.
07 - Spread the remaining batter over the first layer and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture. Draw a butter knife through the layers gently for a marbled effect if desired.
08 - Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 - Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cinnamon-sugar layer creates a crackly top that shatters when you slice it, like a cookie crust hiding soft bread underneath
  • It answers that eternal question of whether to bake cookies or bread by just being both at once
02 -
  • If you swirl too aggressively the cinnamon sugar sinks into a gummy stripe at the bottom instead of staying distributed through the crumb
  • Every oven runs differently so start checking at the 50-minute mark even if the timer says you have more time
03 -
  • If your bananas are not quite ripe enough, poke holes in the skin and microwave them for 30 seconds to soften and sweeten them fast
  • The crackly top forms best when the cinnamon-sugar layer sits directly against the hot oven air, so do not smooth it completely flat

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