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Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread

Cinnamon crunch banana bread with a thick crackled cinnamon brown sugar topping that shatters slightly when sliced. This bakery-style loaf bakes up deeply golden and crunchy on top with a moist banana crumb inside.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 ripe bananas Mashed until smooth.
  • 0.5 cup butter Melted, for the banana bread batter.
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.333 cup brown sugar For the cinnamon crunch topping.
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon For the cinnamon crunch topping.
  • 2 tbsp butter Melted, for the cinnamon crunch topping.
  • 0.25 cup flour For the cinnamon crunch topping.
  • 0.125 tsp salt Pinch, for the cinnamon crunch topping.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep and make the cinnamon crunch topping
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. In a bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, flour, and salt until crumbly; set aside.
Make the banana bread batter
  1. Whisk melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into mashed bananas until smooth.
  2. Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined.
Bake
  1. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and sprinkle the cinnamon crunch topping generously and evenly over the top.
  2. Bake for 60–70 minutes at 350°F until the top is deeply golden and crunchy, and a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

Notes

For the thick, crackled top, distribute the crumb layer all the way to the edges so it doesn’t thin out in the center. Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze slices up to 2 months for best texture. For a dairy-light option, swap the butter for melted neutral oil (use the same amount) though the topping may brown slightly less.