Bourbon Banana Butter ~ this fruit spread is the stuff of your wildest B&B fantasies ~ silky, rich, and a little bit decadent. Spread it on toast, biscuits, croissants, pancakes… let’s just say mornings are about to get a whole lot more interesting.
This is my favorite kind of stuff to share — something neither of us probably even knew existed, but turns out to be fantabulous. Banana butter is definitely unusual, but, when you think about it for a minute, it makes perfect sense. Every other fruit has been jammed, jellied, or made into a butter…why not bananas?
This amazing banana butter takes just 10 minutes to make!
I admit I wasn’t sure what I was in for as I sliced up my 2 pounds of bananas and pureed them with some brown sugar, and then set it all on the stove top to reduce down — but very soon my nose told me it was going to be good. The banana puree thickens up quickly. I cooked it until there was a clean trail when I ran my spoon across the bottom of the pan, it only takes about 5 minutes. I stirred in lots of vanilla bean paste and a pinch of cinnamon, and then filled a couple of small jam jars.
The butter continues to thicken even more as it chills in the refrigerator.
Team this up with the obvious — toast, scones, hot biscuits…but after that, why not make a to-die-for peanut butter and bourbon banana sandwich? Or even bake it into the best banana bread you’ve ever tasted, or use it as a filling for crumble bars.
Bourbon Banana Butter
Ingredients
- 2 lbs bananas, peeled and sliced (weigh your bananas BEFORE peeling)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp bourbon
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste, or extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel the bananas and break them up as you add them to the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar and pulse a few times and then puree to a smooth consistency. You don't have to get out ALL the lumps. Your puree will be quite thin.
- Transfer to a heavy bottomed saucepan and add the bourbon. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until the mixture thickens. Be careful not to let it scorch. Turn down the heat if necessary. This should not take more than 5 minutes or so.
- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and cinnamon. Pour into a small jar, or jars, and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Plan to eat within a couple of weeks.
notes:
- No need to wait for your bananas to turn black, I used yellow bananas and the flavor was great.
- Leave out the bourbon if you don’t like it.
- Change out the cinnamon for nutmeg, or cardamom for a different flavor.
- You can experiment with using honey or maple syrup in place of the sugar.
Thanks for pinning!
Yum!! I love banana bread! I can’t wait to try this, it looks delicious!
“leave out the bourbon if I don’t like it” yeah right! Not a problem for me! I cannot believe how creative you are – this sounds absolutely over the top fantastic. Can’t wait to hear more about those pretty scones hiding in your photos!
I have to say that because someone ALWAYS asks 🙂
And I almost included the scone recipe but I was too tired 😉 They’re basic almond scones:
3 cups (15 ounces) all purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup cream (or half & half) plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds
set oven to 400F
Pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor to combine. Pulse in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Mix the cream with the extract and drizzle in while pulsing, just until the dough starts to come together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just until smooth. form a flat disk about 8-10 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 triangles.
Chill the scones for 20 minutes, then brush with a little cream, cover with sliced almonds, and bake for about 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
I literally cannot believe this only has 5 ingredients. Amazing! Since I have a 3-year-old, we always have bananas on hand. I can’t wait to try this–I know he will love it on his morning toast.
I use bourbon in my apple butter, but I’ve never tried banana butter. I have quite a few collecting in my freezer that might work well for something like this. Thanks for sharing!
Bourbon apple butter sounds pretty nice…
So fun Sue. I’ve actually been working on a banana jam. Different than this but similar. I had it when I was in Nashville served with hot biscuits. It was amazing and I’m determined to figure out how it’s made. I’m sure this butter is wonderful and a great thing to do with extra bananas besides making banana bread.
If you had it in Nashville, it might just have had some bourbon in it 😉
Is that 2 pounds peeled bananas?
Good question, no 2 pounds with the peel on, I’ll clarify, thanks Nancy
I’ve never heard of banana butter, but I happen to have a few bananas that are too ripe for my liking at home right now. And I have bourbon (of course!- I’m too close to KY to not have bourbon!). This would be amazing on my toast in the morning. Thanks!!
Let me know if you give it a try Sarah 🙂
Banana butter? Brilliant? Adding bourbon? Even better! This really does look good. Thanks for the creation — trust me, we’ll all be making it!
I have been seeing a lot of recipes lately with bourbon in it. I think I am going to have to buy a bottle just to cook with! This sounds amazing and I am glad it’s vegan! I pinned for later.
That’s what I do, Willow — the flavor really adds that special touch so a lot of different types of food.
I have never heard of banana butter before but it looks SO incredibly good! Definitely going on my must-try list!