Description
These easy Caramelized Bananas are a delicious treat! Sliced bananas are coated in brown sugar and cinnamon, then pan-fried in butter with a hint of bourbon vanilla until golden and caramelized. Perfect as a topping for desserts or breakfast dishes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 ripe but firm bananas, sliced (about 1/2 inch thick)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick, 113g) salted butter (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract (or regular vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Prepare Sugar Coating: In a large resealable plastic bag (gallon size), combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Seal the bag and shake well to mix.
- Prepare Bananas: Peel and slice the bananas into rounds, about 1/2 inch thick.
- Coat Bananas: Add the banana slices to the bag with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Seal the bag tightly. Gently shake the bag until the banana slices are evenly coated.
- Melt Butter: Melt the salted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook Bananas (in Batches): Once the butter is melted and hot, carefully add the coated banana slices to the skillet in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the pan; cook in batches if necessary.
- Add Vanilla: Pour the bourbon vanilla extract over the bananas in the skillet.
- Caramelize: Cook the banana slices for 2-3 minutes on the first side, undisturbed, until golden brown and caramelized. Carefully flip the slices and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the second side until similarly browned.
- Repeat: If cooking in batches, remove the cooked bananas and repeat the process with the remaining slices, adding more butter if needed.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Bananas: Use bananas that are ripe (sweet) but still firm enough to hold their shape during cooking. Overripe bananas may become too mushy.
- Butter: Salted butter is specified and adds a nice contrast to the sweetness. If using unsalted butter, you might want to add a tiny pinch of salt to the brown sugar mixture.
- Vanilla: Bourbon vanilla extract adds a unique depth, but regular pure vanilla extract works perfectly well too.
- Cooking Heat: Maintain medium-high heat to caramelize the sugar without burning the bananas. Adjust heat as needed.
- Batches: Cooking in batches ensures the bananas caramelize properly rather than steaming.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve warm over vanilla ice cream, pancakes, waffles, French toast, oatmeal, yogurt, or pound cake.
- Storage: These are best enjoyed immediately.