In light of the current situation and everyone needing to stay at home, I thought I would share the cinnamon sugar banana bread recipe we use all the time. It’s really simple and it makes a yummy bread. Doing something really tactile and “normal,” like mixing a batter and baking, can be really helpful for anxiety and panicked feelings. It’s an easy recipe for kids to help out with, too. My son loves helping mix all the ingredients.

Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread Recipe

(Adapted from this banana bread recipe from simplyrecipes.com.)

Ingredients:

For batter:
– 2 ripe bananas
– 1/3 cup melted butter (or Earth Balance Soy Free)
– 1 teaspoon baking soda
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
– 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
– 1 large egg
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For coating:
Mix 1/4 cup white granulated sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 4 x 8 inch loaf pan.
2.) In medium-sized mixing bowl, mash 2 ripe bananas until completely smooth. Mix in melted butter (or substitute).
3.) Add baking soda and salt, then mix in sugars, egg, and vanilla extract. Finally, mix in flour and cinnamon.
4.) Coat inner sides and bottom of pan with about 1/3 of cinnamon sugar mixture, leaving the rest for sprinkling over top of batter.
5.) Pour batter into pan and sprinkle/coat top with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake 50 minutes to an hour.
6.) Remove from oven and set on cooling rack until mostly cooled.

I recommend serving warm with butter (or substitute) spread on slice.

Note: Sugars can be substituted for each other, such as all white granulated if you don’t have brown sugar on hand, or vice versa. You could also use 1/2 a cup less sugar over all if preferred.

Click here for a PDF of the illustration if you’d like to print it out!