Why This is The Best Sugar Cookie Banana Bread

• It comes together in one bowl (yes, one!) and there’s no mixer (hand or stand) required.
• It has all the cozy banana bread feels with a fun sugar cookie twist.
• It’s both kid and grown-up approved, because everyone on earth loves sprinkles.
• You can customize the sprinkles for the time of year. Think red, green, and white for Christmas—black, orange, and white for halloween—red, pink, and white for Valentines Day, and of course, red, white, and blue for the patriotic holidays.

Ingredient Notes

• Use unsalted butter. This creates that rich, tender crumb we all expect from a banana loaf. And, of course, I recommend using unsalted butter, so we have total control over the amount of salt in the bread.
• Dark brown sugar is the only answer. Dark brown sugar is the best here because it has a deeper, almost caramel-like flavor, which goes really well with this bread.
• Extra ripe bananas are key. If you’ve made banana bread before, you know the drill—the riper the bananas, the better. You want those bananas looking borderline questionable. Black—like, should I toss these? Nope, you should not. They’re perfect. They’ll bring the natural sweetness and moisture that makes this bread absolutely irresistible.
• Vanilla & almond extract. Together, these extracts are what gives this bread that unmistakable “sugar cookie” flavor. Both are absolutely necessary, sorry not sorry, friends—you may not skip the almond extract.
• The type of sprinkles does matter. Use jimmies (the longer ones) for the best results—they won’t bleed color like nonpareils can.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan (or use parchment paper for easy removal, which is by far my favorite method).
2. Melt the butter, let it cool slightly, then mix in brown sugar, sugar, mashed bananas, an egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir this all up until it’s nice and smooth.

1. Stir in flour, baking powder, and sea salt—just until combined. Don’t overmix the batter here because we’re going to mix it again when we fold in the sprinkles.
2. Gently fold in the sprinkles. Again, don’t go crazy mixing here, just give them a few quick turns.

1. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle the top of the loaf with a generous amount of sprinkles.
2. Bake the bread for 60–65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

1. Let the loaf cool for 30 minutes before slicing—if you can wait that long, it really helps it to set up and slice cleanly (I know waiting can be really hard though, so if you must cut it early, I get it, haha).

Recipe Tips & Notes

• The sprinkle choice matters. Stick to classic jimmies to keep your bread colorful without any weird bleeding.
• Don’t overmix. Especially after adding the flour. A few little flour streaks are WAY better than a tough loaf.
• Watch the top. It’ll be golden brown, slightly puffed up, and likely cracked down the center when it’s ready—these are your visual cues.
• Even better the next day. The flavor of this bread deepens and the texture becomes even softer after sitting overnight. The banana and brown sugar moisture really have a chance to settle into the loaf, making every bite extra tender and rich. If you can, wait for it.

Storage Recommendations

Store leftover sugar cookie banana bread in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil at room temperature for 3–4 days. You can also freeze slices individually for up to 3 months—just wrap them tightly and pop them into a freezer bag for easy grab-and-thaw portions. #tipoftheday