Banana Nut Bread Cinnamon Swirl (Printer-friendly)

Moist banana bread featuring crunchy walnuts and a sweet cinnamon swirl throughout.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
08 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Add-Ins

09 - 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

→ Cinnamon Swirl

10 - 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
11 - 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
04 - Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in mashed bananas and vanilla extract until well combined.
05 - Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently mix until just combined—do not overmix.
06 - Fold in the chopped walnuts.
07 - In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon for the swirl.
08 - Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the batter. Add the remaining batter on top, then sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon-sugar. Gently swirl a knife through the batter to create a marbled effect.
09 - Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10 - Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cinnamon swirl creates these pockets of spicy sweetness that make every bite feel like a surprise
  • It transforms those sad overripe bananas on your counter into something genuinely exciting
  • The texture walkway between moist crumb and crunchy walnuts hits every single craving at once
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter activates gluten and makes your bread tough instead of tender
  • The toothpick test is tricky because of the cinnamon swirl, aim for the center not a sugar pocket
  • Cooling completely before slicing seems impossible but makes the difference between crumbly bread and perfect slices
03 -
  • Freeze overripe bananas if you cant bake immediately, they thaw perfectly for mashing
  • Rotate your pan halfway through baking if your oven has hot spots
  • Room temperature ingredients prevent the batter from separating and ensure even baking

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