Streusel-Topped Banana Bread

I probably don't need another banana bread recipe. I've tried plenty of versions over the years. But I most often end up using the one I know practically by heart from my well-used Byers United Methodist Church cookbook.  (Click here for that recipe and the variations.)
It  probably wins the prize for the most battered and stained cookbook in my whole cookbook collection (and I have an impressive collection). Banana bread likely has something to do with that.

But when I saw the words "streusel-topped," I couldn't resist. And then, caramel icing? Well, that was enough to send me to the counter for my overripe bananas.

It didn't disappoint.

I usually double the recipe when making banana bread and then freeze part of loaves. A caveat: If you've frosted the loaves, the frosting is still tasty after freezing ... but the drizzle gets messed up and the loaves aren't as pretty.

Streusel-Topped Banana Bread

Adapted from Butter with A Side of Bread blog

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. cold butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Caramel Icing (Optional)
5 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. caramel ice cream topping
Dash of salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bread pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Whisk together dry ingredients; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and butter until creamed. Add eggs, mixing well. Add banana, mixing well. Add combined dry ingredients to the banana batter. Stir in chopped nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.

To make streusel topping: Mash the brown sugar and flour together. Add in cold butter with a fork until uniformly crumbly. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle mixture over the bread batter.

For a large pan, bake 50 to 55 minutes until bread tests done (or bread reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees.) Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack. I prefer using small loaf pans. Depending on your oven, it will take 25-30 minutes for the smaller loaves to bake. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Or use the internal temperature given above.

If desired, frost with caramel glaze after the bread has cooled. To make glaze, combine butter and caramel topping in a bowl and microwave 1 minute. Whisk in salt and powdered sugar. Let cool slightly. Drizzle over cooled banana bread. Top with additional chopped nuts, if desired. I used a decorators tube to drizzle the icing.