Brown Butter Rum Banana Bread – This is not your mother’s banana bread . The addition of brown butter and some rum makes it even better than a classic loaf. Shhh. . . don’t tell mom!
Who wants a little banana bread with their rum?
Updated to add: This is a post I’ve decided to update with some new love. I figured it was time. I’ve added some new goodies to the post, but basically left what I’d written so I can look back on it and remember. 😉
Enjoy!
SAVE THIS BANANA BREAD RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
We are…
ALL. MOVED. IN!!!!
Ok, well not completely, like totally, like a-place-for-everything-and-everything-in-its’-place like moved in, but we are getting there. At least I know we’re NOT going to be moving for AT LEAST another year, maybe two or more if I can help it!
I really like this house, the location, the neighbors we’ve met so far AND I can take some pretty great pictures right in the dining room ON my very own kitchen table because of some pretty awesome windows.
Obviously, though, these pictures were taken in the backyard of our previous rental hence the stone wall background.
Honestly, though, I cannot tell you how very happy I am.
If you aren’t familiar with what’s been happening in my life lately (and that in part, is due to the fact that I haven’t been posting regularly) we moved in the middle of October from the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the desert of Phoenix, Arizona.
We are originally from Rhode Island and moved to Arizona back in 2002. After being here for 11 years, we decided that we wanted to return to New England to be closer to family and give mountain living a try. Not the rugged mountain living – we had the luxuries of heat, hot water (when we didn’t run out of both of those – and twice at the same time), indoor plumbing, and even internet!
The desire to live in Arizona returned after 14 months of NH living, so we MAJORLY downsized and returned to the West. We lived in a rental for about a month and a half before finally settling in our current home.
What a relief, I tell ya!
If you’ve ever moved and I’m sure you have, it’s just so unsettling and a pain in the royal tuckus! I like being organized, knowing where my things are in my kitchen and a routine, not this being in a state of flux baloney.
I’m a happier person when I’m settled and isn’t that what the family ultimately wants anyway? A settled momma equals a happy momma. And WIFE! 😉
As soon as I got my kitchen said up, I decided it was time to christen it with a loaf of banana bread. Banana Bread smells like home to me!
Banana Bread
Way back in the day, I received a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook as a wedding present and LOVED that thing! I wrote notes in it, even adapted some recipes. So, that may very well have been the spark that started this whole blog. But…
(gulp)
I THREW the dang thing out!! Can you believe it?! I have NO idea what came over me. I thought I needed the newer updated version and should discard the old one, but apparently had a MAJOR mind-fart. Actually, I’d call it way more than a mind fart: Lack of judgment, a momentary state of dementia, a lobotomy maybe or all three of those combined?
WHY on God’s green earth would I EVER have thrown that thing away????!!!! Odd because I KEPT cookbooks of my mother’s that have no relevance and that I really have no use for. The reason for this story?
It had a banana bread recipe that I loved so very much and made quite often. Sadness ensued amongst family members when I no longer had said recipe and couldn’t recall for the life of me what the ingredients were…besides the bananas, of course.
Watch this video of the Brown Butter Rum Banana Bread to see how easily it comes together!
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Favorite Banana Bread
I’ve made many other banana bread recipes over the years, that I’ve loved. Chai Banana Bread makes me supremely happy, as does this Blueberry Banana Bread.
But I never forgot about that first banana bread recipe I loved and made so often right after we were married! Maybe it’s all the moving and life changes, but I started getting downright nostalgic for that moist sweet loaf of comfort.
So, after perusing the internet, I came upon this recipe at Better Homes and Gardens and added some extra goodness to it. The happy result is this Brown Butter Rum Banana Bread.
Easy Banana Bread Recipe
This is not your classic banana bread recipe–but it more than satisfied my craving to fill my kitchen with the smell of baking bananas and spices!
The brown butter and rum mixed into the batter make this bread taste extra special. Thankfully, that extra “somethin’ somethin” doesn’t translate to extra work for you. All you do is brown butter in a skillet, add a little rum and mix it in with your bananas and dry ingredients.
Not sure how to brown butter? Here’s a great tutorial on how to brown butter if you haven’t done it before.
Ingredients needed to make this banana bread
- Bananas
- Rum
- Butter
- Flour
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
Any recipe that includes that list of ingredients is bound to be good! This has become my new favorite banana bread recipe and I’m so excited for you to give it a try.
How to Make Brown Butter Banana Bread
First, you’re going to mix together all your dry ingredients in one bowl and set it aside. Then, mash up your bananas in another bowl and beat in the eggs and sugar.
Now it’s time to brown the butter! Melt unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted add the rum to the pan. Continue to cook while stirring constantly.
Remove from heat when you see golden bits of butter in the bottom of the pan. The butter/rum mixture will continue to cook slightly once removed, so you don’t want it to become too dark while on the stove. You could end up with burnt butter and burnt butter doesn’t taste good in anything.
The alcohol in the rum will burn off and you will see the butter foam as it cooks. Just continue to gently stir and stay focused on making sure the butter becomes golden to slightly amber in color. This will probably take 5 – 7 minutes. Lower the heat if you feel it is cooking too fast.
Now, add the browned butter to the banana mixture and stir to combine. Pour the wet ingredients all at once into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. There will probably be a few lumps left–that’s okay!
Bake the banana bread for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes then remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool completely.
Slice, serve and enjoy! This bread moist and flavorful all on its own. It’s also amazing topped with an extra pat of soft butter!
Recipe Notes for Banana Bread
- Keep a close eye on the butter while you’re browning it. If it begins to darken too quickly, you might end up with burnt butter which does NOT taste good! Lower the heat if needed to keep the butter just a golden amber color, no darker.
- Sometimes the top of the bread will darken faster than I want while it’s baking. To solve this, I’ll cover the top of the loaf in the last 15 minutes of baking. This keeps the top golden brown while the inside continues cooking.
- This is one of those banana breads that tastes even better the next day! Wrap slices in plastic wrap and let sit overnight. The brown butter flavor will deepen and you’ll really taste the rum flavors
Brown Butter Rum Banana Bread
This Brown Butter Rum Banana Bread will be a delicious addition to any breakfast and tastes amazing paired with a morning cup of coffee! We also love slices of this as an afternoon snack (or any time of day).
Brown Butter Rum Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups mashed banana about 5 medium
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup rum
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 X 5-inch bread pan by spraying it on the bottom and less than halfway up on the sides with cooking spray or by greasing it with butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Mix in the banana and sugar.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted add the rum to the pan. Continue to cook while stirring constantly. Remove from heat when you see golden bits of butter in the bottom of the pan. Butter / rum will continue to cook slightly once removed, so you don't want it to become too dark while on the stove. You could end up with burnt butter and burnt butter doesn't taste good in anything. The alcohol in the rum will burn off and you will see the butter foam as it cooks. Just continue to gently stir and stay focused on making sure the butter becomes golden to slightly amber in color. This will probably take 5 - 7 minutes. Lower the heat if you feel it is cooking too fast.
- Add butter / rum mixture to banana mixture and thoroughly incorporate.
- Add banana mixture all at once to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Don't worry, there will probably be some lumps. No biggie.
- Bake for 55 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- If desired, cover loaf with some tin foil in the last 15 minutes of baking should it begin to darken too much.
- Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
- Remove the bread from pan and allow to cool completely on the rack.
- The bread slices best once it has been wrapped in plastic wrap and left to sit overnight.
Banana Bread Recipe
After making this Brown Butter Rum Banana Bread, I don’t really think you can have enough banana bread recipes. Lately, this Quinoa Banana Bread has been knocking my socks off.
Who doesn’t like a little chocolate with their bananas? You’re going to love one of my all time favorite banana bread recipes, this Double Chocolate Banana Bread. When you need a peanut butter fix, too, this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is here for you.
I’m excited to make this 5-Ingredient Flourless Banana Bread next time I’m in the mood for a healthier treat.
I am such a Kahlua lover that I don’t think I’d want to share even a crumb of this Kahlua Banana Bread. Wow!
Need more ideas for baking and cooking with bananas? I’ve got you covered! Give these a try. . .
- Banana Oat Bran Peanut Butter Chip Muffins
- Banana Mocha Smoothie Bowl
- Blueberry Banana Smoothie Bowl
- Banana Pudding Dream Bars
- Banana Peanut Butter Chip Pancakes
- Banana Tres Leches Cake
- Banana Chips
Shake up your brunch menu with these other favorites!
These Loaded Huevos Rancheros are the bomb. Seriously! They are SO full of flavor that my son has been asking for them for breakfast almost every weekend.
If you like a cinnamon-sugar combination, then you’ll love these French Breakfast Puffs. They’re another delicious treat that will be perfect with a cup of coffee or tea!
Want to be all fancy for breakfast or at least pretend to be? Make this Lemon Poppy Seed Dutch Baby. You’re sure to impress family and friends.
I rate everything I make on a scale of 1 -4 and this Brown Butter Rum Banana Bread earned 3 1/2 rolling pins.
I love this banana bread recipe as is, but adding the rum and butter gave it an extra oomph! I can’t wait to hear how you like it.
Comments & Reviews
Maria says
I dont have rum but i have rum extract. How much rum extract do you think i shout put?
tena allgood says
Can you use light rum?
Lynne says
I don’t see why you couldn’t Tena.
Kate says
This turned out great for me!!! I did use white whole wheat flour to try and slip in some extra fiber. Great recipe!!!
Diane Decker says
About what year was your BHG Cookbook published? Was it the one with the red plaid cover. I had my mother’s from 1949, but it completely fell apart after only 60 years of hard use. After mom died, each of my sisters and I took some of the loose pages as a memory. I have purchased two others at garage sales. Will have to look up what years if you are interested, I could probably part with one of them, or I could type out recipes you needed. E-mail me if I can help.
Diane Decker says
I found the cookbooks. One is from 1981, the other is quite a bit older, but not as old as my mother’s. I would prefer keeping that one, as it has a lot of the recipes my mom used to make. I bought the second one for my daughter, who thinks it is too old-fashioned. So if you need a 1981 Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook with the traditional red plaid cover, please let me know. Perhaps we can work something out.
Sara says
I agree, the BHG cookbook was a staple in my Mom’s kitchen and the newer version is missing some of my the best recipes of my childhood. Was looking for a delicious banana bread that I could make after my move from NJ to Denver and this was my winner! I only had black rum on hand which makes browning the butter kinda tricky so I added it at the end and still had a perfect result. My latest attempt I replaced the rum for bourbon, so tasty!! Thank you for all your hard work!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
This bread looks yummy!!
Jim Logue says
I bought a bottle of rum (I can use it for other recipes), and I made this banana bread. It turned out great! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s fun to try new things like this.
Elaine says
Hi Lynne, thank you so much for posting this recipe! They say that perfection is in simplicity. I think that this recipe is just a good example of that! Can’t wait to cook it, too, now – have a great day!
Jim Wilson says
This is seriously one of the most delicious things I’ve ever made. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I used Kerrygold butter and Pyrat rum FYI. Also, I used two very ripe Cavendish bananas and three ripe red bananas. Pure gold. The sweet crunch of the crust is unbelievable.
Lynne says
Oh, Jim! That makes me SO very happy to hear that you love it so much. Thank you!!
Now I want to make it today with the ripe bananas I have sitting on the counter. Happy to hear about the ingredients you used, too. I’ll have to give them a go next time. Happy Baking!!
REBECCA PLATT says
Just found your blog today and busy checking out your recipes.
This bread looks great but I don’t see where the question about using rum extract was answered. That is what I would be using instead of the real thing. So what do you think?
Thanks.
Lynne says
Thank you, Rebecca! I’m so happy you found me!
Yes, you can substitute the rum extract for the light rum in the recipe. I found this link on the McCormick site: https://www.mccormick.com/spices-and-flavors/extracts-and-food-colors/extracts/rum-extract.
They say to 1/2 teaspoon of extract for each tablespoon of light rum or 1 1/2 teaspoons rum extract for each tablespoon of dark rum.
Therefore, you’ll need 16 teaspoons of the extract to equal the amount of rum used in the recipe. Hope that helps!
Natalie says
I’m sorry, but your math is way off & I hope no one actually used the amt of extract you rec. Keep in mind, there are 5.3 Tbsp per 1/3 cup. Based on 1/2 tsp of extract for 1 Tbsp regular rum, it would equal 2 1/2 tsp of extract needed; whereas, 1 1/2 tsp extract for ea Tbsp of dark rum would equal 7 1/2 tsps needed. Hope this helps someone =)
Lynne says
Natalie, I appreciate you doing all that math! Yet, my math is correct since I did use actual rum for this recipe, and not rum extract. Had I used rum extract, I would have specified that. If people opt to use the rum extract, they most certainly can.
Priscilla Taljaard says
Made this yesterday and reduced the sugar andd still llovely thank you for an exceptional banana bread recipe.
Lynne says
Thank you so much, Priscilla! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate you letting me know!
Prisca says
Hello, please how long does this bread keep for?
Lynne says
Prisca, I wouldn’t keep it longer for more than four days. Make sure it’s wrapped well in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. When I make it, we always eat it within the following two days, but I think four would be adequate. YOu could also freeze it and then thaw it in the refrigerator before serving the next day.
Melanie Ford says
This really is a great recipe and the way my Abuela from Zihuatanejo causes it to be I’m excited to check some of the recipes Kristin! I really like your replies everyone has gaps within their kitchen and that you aren’t scared to step outside the package. Keep up this! For the”women” who bashed; pity you! What happened to others!
Christina says
Can I substitute something else besides the unsalted butter?
Lynne says
Christina, um, use salted butter? Or are you asking if you can use a dairy substitute for butter? If so, I’ve never baked with a non-dairy butter substitute, so I’m not sure. If that’s the case I would Google a recipe specifically for that as I can’t guarantee what the outcome would be for this recipe.
Ariel says
Only had three bananas and one egg so halved the recipe and it still came out delicious! Added walnuts for crunch factor but the flavor was great and it had a very tender crumb.
Lynne says
Yay, Ariel! I love that you were able to improvise and that it was still wonderful. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Ima says
Extremely dry and lacked flavour
Lynn Blacker says
Wasn’t sure about this bread, thought it would turn out somewhat dry and not a lot of flavor. Boy, was I wrong!! And so glad I was. I used spiced rum instead of plain because that’s all I could find in the small bottles. Added more flavor. The bread was very moist, flavorful and definitely will be made many more times. Try it, you won’t be disappointed.
Lynne says
Lynn, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for the rating and letting me know. I love the idea of using the spiced rum, so I’ll definitely have to do that the next time I make it. This is definitely one of my favorite banana bread recipes. Thank you!