The Canned Ingredient That Will Give Your Banana Bread Fall Flair
Is there anyone who doesn't love banana bread? One of the simplest, most satisfying quick breads you can make, an ideal banana bread is moist, fluffy, and sweet — thanks to the natural sweetness of bananas as well as the tasty mix-ins such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, or coconut (via Taste of Home). Banana bread seems to hit the spot at any time of day, whether accompanying your morning coffee, as an afternoon snack, or a sweet dessert after dinner.
As anyone who regularly whips up the treat knows, banana bread is almost infinitely customizable — not just by stirring in nuts or candy as mentioned above, but also by playing around with fats (think browning your butter before mixing) or adding your favorite sweetener (think a drizzle of maple syrup in place of sugar). And if you're anything like recipe developer Hayley MacLean, you might even turn to the canned items in your pantry when baking banana bread.
Canned pumpkin brings sweetness and moisture to Hayley MacLean's banana bread
If you like banana bread, you may have tried your hand at baking pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins, a similar recipe that's often flavored with warming spices and mix-ins such as chocolate or nuts (via Kitchn). But did you know that the two types of quick breads combine beautifully into one delicious hybrid snack?
Recipe developer Hayley MacLean certainly does, and her recipe for Pumpkin Banana Bread allows the natural sweetness of both fruits (yes, pumpkin is a fruit) to shine through. Calling on both canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, the fluffy bread gets a wallop of texture from add-ins including walnuts, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate chips. And while the fragrant bread is delicious at any time of year, there's no denying its appeal in the fall. "I love serving this slightly warm with a bit of butter and a cup of hot coffee first thing in the morning," says MacLean. "[It's] the best way to start an autumn day!"