Well friends, here we are, another Monday. The furthest day of the week from the beloved weekend. As such, Mondays seem to have a bit of a bad reputation. I mean, how many times have you heaved a big sigh on Sunday night and said/thought “Ugh, it’s Monday tomorrow”?
But Mondays aren’t all bad. For one thing, you’re probably more likely to be well-rested on a Monday, given that it follows the weekend and most people are able to sleep in and relax a bit more. On Mondays, you have the whole week ahead of you – it’s yours for the taking! So spruce it up a bit – make some plans with friends to enjoy a patio beverage, plan to try that yoga/crossfit/pilates class that you’ve been meaning to get to, kick back and relax with a glass of wine and a good book – and enjoy the day. You might also wish to make this little diddy of a banana bread.
First of all, browning butter has become a bit of a trend. And it’s popular for good reason – browning the butter adds depth to the flavor of the bread – it’s kind of nutty and definitely insanely delicious. Try it once and you’ll be hooked. Secondly, I’ve added macadamia nuts and cinnamon chips. As I mentioned before, I brought home a sweet little stash of macadamia nuts from Hawaii back in April. I took a bus tour of the Road to Hana during my trip and one of the stops was a little roadside food store that sold fresh coconuts (remember this?), pineapple, banana bread, and other treats. I bought a loaf of the macadamia nut banana bread, which inspired me to add some macadamia nuts to this recipe. Cinnamon chips are a fun addition and create little pockets of cinnamon goodness in each bite. Cinnamon chips are something that I haven’t been able to find here at home, but I brought home a couple of bags from the same trip. They seem to be easy to find in grocery stores in the United States (in the baking section right next to the chocolate chips). If you can’t find cinnamon chips where you are, add a little cinnamon flavor to the loaf with one teaspoon of the stuff.
A warm slice of this banana bread is certain to make your Monday better. That’s a guarantee. Make it, eat it, share it. Let’s start this week off right!
Browned Butter Macadamia Nut and Cinnamon Chip Banana Bread (inspired by Joy the Baker)
Makes one 9×5-inch loaf.
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, browned
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup buttermilk (or plain yogurt)
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cinnamon chips (or 1 tsp. cinnamon)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan as the butter cooks. The butter will foam and crackle, and then it will start to brown and smell nutty (this takes about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Measure the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and bananas. Add the cooled butter and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and gently mix together. Fold in the macadamia nuts and cinnamon chips.
Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and gently smooth out. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy!
That bread with the milk looks like the perfect way to end this Monday. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Pamela! Nothing beats a sweet treat to end the day. Hope you had a great Monday!
This is totally right up my alley. I LOVE macadamia nuts and cinnamon chips. They sound like the perfect addition to banana bread!
Thanks Hannah!
Putting browned butter in anything is AMAZING. This sounds so wonderful!
Agreed! 🙂
You made my whole week better with this banana bread! Holly molly. Browned butter with macadamia nuts and cinnamon chips, pass me a couple dozen slices.
Happy to hear it, love! If I could send a loaf to you through the Internet, I totally would!
This looks amazing! I love the idea of the cinnamon chips!
They add some fun flavor, for sure. Thanks Emily!
This looks exactly what I could have used yesterday morning at about 11 o’clock! Perfect with a mug of sweet milky tea! ….and perhaps a newspaper?
Yes to milky tea! That sounds like a great way to start the morning.
ohh man those flavors sound amazing!! And i actually love mondays, a whole fresh week to fit baking into
I love that little positive spin! Although I seem to have trouble finding time to bake throughout the week!
I love banana bread and adding macadamia nuts and cinnamon chips are a great addition! I am going to have to try that out soon.
Thanks Julia!
This looks so delightful!!! The combination of those 3 ingredients are so amazing! I’m definitely going to make that!! 🙂 I love your blog!
Aww, thanks! 🙂
Whaaaaaaat?! This bread is ALL that and some cinnamon chips. Love it.
Thanks Ashley! 🙂
Looking at your photos, I’m realizing I definitely need more banana bread in my life 🙂 Love the addition of cinnamon chips – sounds amazing.
You sure do. 🙂 Thanks Jen!
That swirl going through the bread is so dang gorgeous!!! I love the big chunks of toasty nuts too. I have a craving for a big slice of this with some chocolate milk now!!!!
Thanks lady!
ok…. i must be the only person on earth who didn’t know there was such a thing as cinnamon chips…. where do you find such things? My Safeway didn’t have them…
Z – I’m not sure we can get them here. I’ve never had any luck finding them, even in specialty food stores. You might just have to wait until you or someone you know makes a trip to the US and can bring you back a bag or two!
Beautiful!
You’re sweet!
Hi Amanda
Did you use salted or unsalted macadamia nuts in this recipe.
Hi Jackie – I used unsalted macadamia nuts!