Apple Spiced Banana Crumb Bread

Have you been to the grocery store lately? It’s a sad sight to see! We’re still in the thick of COVID and not only do we have to worry about our health but we also have to worry about a lack in resources! Food inventory is low, supplier deliveries are delayed, and your favorite food items out of stock! It’s getting really sad and scary out here. Now more than ever, I’m making a conscious effort to fully leverage and use all of our groceries.

Like today, I saw some bananas in our fruit basket on the verge of going bad. My mind said “no waste, remember?” and my stomach said “let’s make something good with them”. First thing I thought of was banana bread. I know ya’ll got your fair share of banana bread indulgence during the early days of the pandemic but have you ever tried using your favorite jam inside the batter?

Trader Joe’s has this really delicious Apple Cider jam that I love and so that’s what I grabbed first! Then, to add some pizzaz I sprinkled in Home Beis Organic Apple Spice instead of just adding in cinnamon. It was a match made in heaven indeed. I used my banana bread recipe as a base and made it extra extra special.

Seriously, you need to make this! It’s perfect for entertaining, great for a quick breakfast treat for the week, and/or is great in muffin/cupcake form.

A few things to note:

• I used Apple Jam here but you can get creative and use whatever jam you have at home. Swirl that baby in there to add some pizazz for an otherwise boring banana bread. You know what else would be bomb in here? Cream cheese! It’ll make for a very nice danish-y kind of vibe.

• The recipe calls for 3 large bananas. If your bananas are a bit on the smaller side, throw an extra one in there!

• Use a long piece of parchment paper to make releasing the banana bread from it’s baking dish a lot easier. This is an optional step but one that’s super convenient.

• You can use your preferred nut milk here instead of regular milk. The requires a bit of moisture to bring all of the ingredients together so any milk will work here. I often use Almond Milk in this recipe and it’s come out exactly the same.

• Bake at 325 degrees F if you’re using a darker baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F if you’re baking in a lighter or glass baking pan. Dark metal baking pans and baking sheets absorb the oven's radiant heat quicker than, say, aluminum pans. Because the heat is absorbed quicker, the exterior (top, edges and bottom) of whatever your baking will brown faster.

• You can make this into muffins if you’d like! Makes for a great grab and go breakfast.

• Lastly, for a healthier alternative, use whole wheat flour in place of AP flour and agave or honey in place of sugar. Omit the crumb topping!

Here’s the recipe!

For the Banana Bread Batter

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 8 tbspns (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 2 large eggs

• 3 large ripe bananas

• 1 tbspn milk

• 1 tspn Home Beis Apple Spice (you can use cinnamon here instead)

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tspn baking powder

• 1 tspn baking soda

• 1 tspn salt

• 1/2 cup of Apple Jam

For the Crumb Topping

• 4 tbspns (1/2 of a stick) of butter

• 3 tbspns of brown sugar

• 1 tbspn of granulated sugar

• 2 tbspns of all purpose flour

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch of cinnamon

Directions

First we preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Next, we cream the sugar and butter. Add sugar and butter to a mixing bowl and combine until fluffy. Next, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each one.

Now, we create our banana mixture. Add the bananas to a large bowl and mash. Next, add in your milk and cinnamon. Mix until combined.

In another bowl, add in your dry ingredients. Add your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a bowl and mix to combine.

It’s time to create our batter. Add the creamed mixture to the banana mixture and combine by using the spatula to fold the creamed mixture in. Once combined, add half of your flour mixture and whisk with a handheld mixer. Repeat once more with the remaining flour mixture.

Last but not least, it’s time to create our crumble. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon and flour. With a fork, mash the butter into the rest of the ingredients until large lumps begin to form. You’ll want a nice mix of large crumbs and smaller crumbles. Once combine, set aside.

Now, the magic happens! Let’s get this ready for the oven! Grease a baking dish with non-stick spray or butter. Add a piece of parchment paper across your dish.

Then, pour half of your batter into prepared pan. Grab your apple jam and spoon small dollops of jam on the batter. With a knife, swirl the jam in circular motions. Repeat once more by adding the remaining batter and a few more dollops of the apple jam.

Lastly, sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the banana bread mixture as the finish touch! Use every last bit of the crumble. Even the leftover sugary bits at the bottom of the bowl.

Now we bake! Bake your banana bread for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center of your banana bread. If you used parchment, use the sides of the parchment paper to separate your banana bread from the baking dish. (Alternatively, run a knife alongside the edges of your baking dish and turn your baking dish upside down to release your banana bread from the dish).

Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Slice & enjoy!