I need to kick things off by saying I don’t like coffee. I am a tea drinker through and through. I’ve tried and tried to like coffee, but I just…can’t.
But weirdly, I love the smell of it, and I love things that have a subtle coffee taste to them, which I know makes no sense, but I roll with it! Especially when it comes to this rich and aromatic banana bread laced with just a teeny hint of coffee, studded with nuts and full of that perfect banana taste.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I first made it when my dear friend Lynne dropped in for a spur of the moment visit. We have been friends since Mrs. Gorman’s fourth grade class, and we don’t get to see each other NEARLY enough, so every visit is a dear memory.
Case in point: that picture is from 500 years ago when I was still straightening my hair and living in New Jersey. But my sweet Lynne looks just the same, and there’s something about that curl on her forehead that gets me every time I see this.
So this recipe for coffee walnut banana bread will forever be associated with spending time with a dear one! And we are both here to tell you that it takes regular banana bread up a notch or two.
How to make coffee walnut banana bread!
Preheat your oven to 325 and spray a 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
Beat a half cup of melted butter with a cup of brown sugar together until well combined. Add two beaten eggs and a cup of mashed up bananas and mix it up until everything is smooth.
Put two cups of flour, a half teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir together gently with a whisk until well combined.
Add a third of the flour mixture to the banana mixture and mix. Add a quarter cup of brewed coffee, then another third of the flour mixture, then another quarter cup of coffee, then the rest of the flour mixture.
Stir in a half cup of chopped walnuts (these are optional, but I am firmly in the Say Yes To Walnuts camp.
Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then transfer it to a cooling rack.
Tips for making coffee walnut banana bread!
I like to smoosh them a little bit while they are still inside the peel, then peel them, drop them on a plate and finish the mashing with a fork. The riper they are, the better!
You bet! Pecans, cashews and macadamia nuts would all be scrumptious. Just give whatever you are using a rough chop first. And if you want to leave out the nuts, you can!
This banana bread will last a good 3 to 4 days at least, especially if you wrap it up and keep it in the fridge.
One other idea for you: if you want to add another layer of flavor, stir in a half cup or so of mini chocolate chips when you add the nuts (or even instead of the nuts, if you are not a nut kind of person).
Eat the first piece warm with a cup of tea, and then make it into French toast, tear pieces of it into chunks for bread pudding, toast it up and spread it with banana jam…and go give that friend who knows you from Way Back When a call. :)
OTHER BANANA-RIFIC RECIPES WE LOVE!
 Got ripe bananas and some chocolate chips? It’s time to make banana chocolate chip cake with this easy recipe – it’s the best snack cake ever! |
 Out of all the many many recipes in my towering pile of books and binders and scraps of paper, these banana muffins are the ones the Southern daughter requests the most! |
 These perfect tiny banana bread ice cream shooters made with caramel sauce and walnuts are the sweetest thing you will ever put in your shooter glasses! |
Want to round out your meal? This recipe pairs well with...
Coffee Walnut Banana Bread
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: One loaf
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
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Pin RecipeDescription
Shake up your banana bread with a little coffee! This easy recipe for coffee walnut banana bread is the perfect snack and brunch treat.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten together
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 good and ripe ones)
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional if you don’t want to use ’em)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 and spray a 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Beat the butter and sugar together until well combined. Add the eggs and bananas and mix it up until everything is smooth.
- Put the flour, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir together gently with a whisk until well combined.
- Add 1/3 of flour mixture to the banana mixture and mix. Add half the coffee, then another 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the rest of the coffee, then the rest of the flour mixture. If you are using the nuts, stir them in now.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then transfer to a cooling rack. Share with someone you love!
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!
Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!
Hi Kate, I was inspired by your story for this recipe, and came across it while looking for a good bread to make for my girlfriend who is a long-time banana bread lover. I loved that you incorporated coffee into this, as she loves coffee as well. :) It seemed like the perfect thing to try, so tonight I made her this bread for her birthday, and she absolutely loves it! I followed your instructions and had the first slice with some hot tea (a sweet cinnamon herbal blend), and it was delicious (like, to die for delicious).
The coffee adds a wonderful depth to the flavor as well as a subtle and enjoyable bitterness in the aftertaste. I almost forgot to mention, I added the chocolate chips as well. The ways that all the flavors compliment each other… okay I’ll stop gushing. It was simply perfect.
Thank you for this recipe, and I hope you and your friend find more time to see each other. :)
★★★★★
Jules! This was such a nice note to wake up to this morning – I’m so glad you loved this recipe (and of course I also love the addition of chocolate chips!). And yes! I am seeing her in October and I am counting the days. Happy Sunday!
I made this wonderful bread yesterday and was very pleased. I used real strong coffee, doubled the recipe (just because it looked so good) and added two cups of Bailey’s Irish Cream baking chips. (who doesn’t like a little Bailey’s in their coffee?) I will be making this again. BTW this made six mini loaves of bread and I baked them for 40 minutes. Thanks so much for this recipe.
★★★★★
Thanks Howard! I love the addition of the Bailey’s chips! :)