Peanut Butter Loaf

This quick bread crosses banana bread with a peanut butter cookie in the best possible way. Crunchy peanut butter gets creamed with shortening and sugar until fluffy, then mashed ripe bananas fold into the batter alongside the dry ingredients.

The crunchy peanut butter does double duty: it adds rich, roasted peanut flavor and those little nut pieces scattered throughout every slice. The bananas keep the loaf moist and add natural sweetness that lets the sugar stay moderate.

Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed base alternating with the bananas. This keeps the batter from getting too wet or too dry at any point. Stir well but don’t beat. Overworking a quick bread batter makes it tough and tunnel-y.

Pro Tips

• Use very ripe bananas. Brown-spotted, soft bananas are sweeter and mash smoothly. Firm yellow bananas leave chunks and don’t have enough sugar.
• Grease the pan well. Peanut butter batters stick aggressively. Give the pan a thorough coat of shortening and a dusting of flour.
• Check at 55 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, pull it even if the full hour isn’t up. Overbaked peanut butter loaf dries out fast.
• Cool in the pan 10 minutes before turning out. It firms up enough to hold together but is still warm enough to slide free.

Variations

• Chocolate chip PB banana bread: Fold in a cup of chocolate chips for a peanut butter cup vibe in bread form.
• Honey peanut butter loaf: Replace the sugar with honey and use smooth peanut butter for a softer, sweeter loaf.
• PB&J loaf: Swirl a few tablespoons of your favorite jam through the batter before baking for a nostalgic twist.