Pair Bananas With This Fragrant Spice For 10X The Flavor (And A New Favorite Sandwich Topping)

Bananas aren't just a healthy snack or a tasty source of potassium. The fruit has seemingly endless versatility when paired with complementary flavors and foodstuffs, whether in a banana and chicken curry or a banoffee pie, the banana-toffee treat that began in a famous English restaurant. One fragrant spice that's probably lurking in your cupboard promises to bring 10 times the flavor to your next banana-based repast, and may just become your new favorite sandwich topping.

That spice is cinnamon, and just as this ingredient addition can sweeten desserts without more sugar, it can also liven up the creamy but occasionally bland taste and texture of banana, while simultaneously bringing complexity that other sweeteners would not with its distinct, woody heat. The fact that you will often see cinnamon as a game-changing ingredient in banana bread only serves to reinforce how well their respective flavors go together. One of the simplest ways to take advantage of this would be to make a sandwich of cinnamon-sprinkled sliced banana on buttered bread, which can then be cooked up in the pan much as you might do with a grilled cheese, and then enjoyed once golden-brown and crispy. This should soften the banana without rendering it mushy, while allowing it and the cinnamon to meld and their combined flavor to deepen. Obviously, the strength of the cinnamon will depend on the amount used, so your own personal preference should be your guide.

There are numerous other permutations of a banana and cinnamon sandwich that can be prepared if you're in the mood for something more ambitious. For something slightly more elaborate and French toast-inspired, a banana-stuffed sandwich can be dipped in a custard of egg and milk, fried, and dusted with cinnamon sugar (if this appeals to you, remember to consult our guide to the ideal ratio for perfectly balanced cinnamon sugar).

For a more substantial sandwich, you can include further ingredients that would also complement the pairing of fruit and spice, such as cream cheese, mascarpone, honey, vanilla, and of course, peanut butter. As much as well love bananas, we also love peanut butter (hence why it's the creamy addition your banana bread deserves), and a sprinkling of cinnamon is an ideal way to finish off toast spread with your preferred brand of PB and topped with banana. If your tastes run in a more Elvis Presley-style direction, however, cinnamon is also a great, hassle-free way to elevate the King's beloved peanut butter and banana sandwich, which can be fried in butter for maximum decadence.