Ingredients Needed:

• eggnog
• unsalted butter
• rapid rise (instant) yeast
• egg
• salt
• ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon
• bread flour
• light brown sugar
• powdered sugar

How to make Eggnog Monkey Bread:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

PREPARE THE DOUGH:

1. Heat the eggnog and butter in a glass cup in the microwave until the butter is melted (you can also heat these in a pan on the stove, if desired). Cool to 110 to 115℉ (about as warm as you’d like a bath to be, if you don’t have a thermometer).
2. Using a stand-mixer is easiest (but you can certainly mix and knead by hand if you’ve got the energy). In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warmed eggnog mixture with the yeast. Let sit for a minute or two, then add the egg, 2 cups of flour, salt and nutmeg. Use the dough hook of your mixer to combine the ingredients. Add remaining flour (up to 3 cups), ½ cup at a time while the dough hook is stirring. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed. The dough hook should be pulling the dough up out of the bowl and away from the sides. If it’s still too sticky, add additional flour by the tablespoon until you get the desired consistency. Let the dough hook knead the dough for 5 minutes.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work with your hands a little bit to form a smooth, round ball. Coat a large bowl with nonstick spray. Place dough in the bowl and turn it over to coat with the spray. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel. Place it in a warm place to rise until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour (see tips below).

MAKE THE OOEY GOOEY COATING:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place the melted butter in a separate bowl.

FORM THE BREAD BALLS:

1. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it into an 8-inch square. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into 64 pieces (cut the square into 4 pieces, then cut each piece into 16 pieces).
3. Roll each small piece into a ball. Dip a ball in the melted butter, then roll in the brown sugar mixture; place it into the bundt pan. Continue with the remaining 63 pieces of dough, layering the balls as they accumulate in the bundt pan. If you have any melted butter left over, drizzle a couple of tablespoons over the layered dough balls.
4. Cover the bundt pan with a clean dish towel, and place it back into a warm place to rise for about another hour. They should get slightly puffier.

BAKE:

Preheat your oven to 350℉. Remove the dishtowel. Bake about 30 minutes, or until the top has browned and ooey gooey caramel is bubbling around the edges. Cool in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip the bundt pan upside down onto a platter to remove the contents of the pan. Let it sit on the platter for a few minutes to cool slightly before glazing.

ADD THE GLAZE:

Whisk together the powdered sugar, eggnog and nutmeg. Spoon the glaze over the top and sides of the monkey bread. Serve warm; it’s ready to pull apart and eat!

Best Eggnog Breakfast Recipes:

• Eggnog Pancakes
• Cinnamon Eggnog Scones
• Eggnog Baked Oatmeal
• Eggnog French Toast
• No Yeast Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients Needed:

• all purpose flour
• whole wheat flour
• granulated white sugar
• light brown sugar
• baking soda and salt
• ground cinnamon
• mashed ripe bananas
• milk
• creamy peanut butter
• vanilla extract
• egg
• milk chocolate chips

How to make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 9×5 inch loaf pans (or muffin tins) with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. In another bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 50 to 55 minutes (give it a check at 40 minutes), or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread

This Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread recipe (originally from Cooking Light) has always been one of my favorite banana bread recipes.  Although it seems indulgent with the addition of chocolate, there really is a very small amount of chocolate swirled in.  But the addition is a nice treat.

Melted chocolate chips are mixed in with a little bit of the banana bread batter to create the chocolate batter.  Then the chocolate batter and banana batter are spooned into the loaf pan randomly, and a knife run through the batters swirls them together. This recipe makes one loaf.  I often double the recipe to make two loaves since my family eats it up so quickly!

Here are a few more recipes you can try that use up ripe bananas:

• Whole Grain Banana Muffins
• Banana Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
• Nutella Stuffed Banana Cookies
• Banana Brownies
• Classic Banana Bundt Cake
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
• Banana Cake
• Organic Banana Zucchini Bread

Salted Thyme Flatbread

Besides serving as a side to main dishes and salads, salted thyme flatbread is perfect for dipping into savory or creamy dips and spreads such as hummus, tzatziki sauce, baba ganoush or roasted red pepper spread. You can also use flatbread as a base for sandwiches or wraps. And it makes an excellent pizza crust too!

🛒 Ingredients needed:

• warm water
• granulated white sugar
• active dry yeast
• kosher salt and table salt
• all purpose flour
• extra virgin olive oil
• fresh thyme

✏️ How to make Salted Thyme Flatbread

*The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

1. Place the water into a large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes or until yeast is dissolved. Stir in the salt. Gradually add flour, stirring until dough forms.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough 10 to 12 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in large oiled bowl, cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in size; about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Place oven rack in lowest rack position and heat to 450°F. Grease a 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan.
4. Gently punch down dough to deflate. Place in pan; using palm of hand press dough to cover bottom of the pan. Cover; let rise about 20 minutes or until risen by half. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle generously with coarse salt.
5. 5. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with thyme.

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• If using a stand mixer with a dough hook, simply dump all of the bread ingredients into the mixer and let it do all of the mixing and kneading.
• Substitute fresh rosemary for the fresh thyme.
• Instead of brushing olive oil on top, use coconut oil, avocado oil or melted butter instead.
• Use flaked sea salt in plate of kosher salt.

✔️ Make Ahead Tips:

Prepare the dough ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, bring it to room temperature and cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in size; about 45 minutes to 1 hour. And continue with the rest of the recipe.

If you’ve already baked or purchased flatbread, you can freeze it for later use. Wrap individual flatbreads tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Frozen flatbread can be thawed in the refrigerator or at room temperature before reheating.

Favorite Bread Recipes

• Rosemary Sea Salt Italian Bread
• Dutch Oven Bread
• Homemade Pizza Bread
• Portuguese Sweet Bread
• How to Make Naan

Streusel Banana Bread

I have so many great banana bread recipes on my website (In Your Face Banana Bread is my favorite), but I have never had a streusel banana bread added to RecipeGirl. Not seeing any reason to re-create the wheel, I did a search for a recipe that interested me. This is a recipe for streusel banana bread that I tried from the old Martha Stewart Living magazine. It’s a good one, but I have some funny observations about it in the notes below. Read on!

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• unsalted butter
• all purpose flour
• light brown sugar
• ground cinnamon
• baking soda and kosher salt
• chopped pecans
• granulated white sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• buttermilk
• mashed ripe bananas

✏️ How to make Streusel Banana Bread:

*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the long sides.

PREPARE THE STREUSEL:

In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the butter and pecans until small clumps form and the mixture is evenly moistened.

PREPARE THE BREAD:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Stir in the bananas. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Stir together until just combined. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel evenly over the batter. Add the remaining batter, then sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top.
2. Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, tent with foil. Let the bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack using the parchment paper. Let it cool completely before serving.

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• It’s okay to leave out the nuts, if you’re allergic or if you’re not a nut family!
• Since you only need 1/3 cup buttermilk, you may not wish to buy a whole container of buttermilk. Make your own! Measure out 1/3 cup of buttermilk, and then add 1/3 tablespoon of lemon juice to it. Let it sit for 10 minutes, and then you have buttermilk!
• You can absolutely make this banana bread recipe without any streusel at all.

Favorite Banana Bread Recipes:

• Cheesecake Banana Bread
• Blueberry Coconut Banana Bread
• Sour Cream Banana Bread
• Strawberry Oatmeal Banana Bread
• Low Fat Banana Bread

Cheesecake Banana Bread

I have a banana bread recipe that is perfect for cheesecake lovers like me. In this recipe, you’ll get both cheesecake and banana bread all in one treat. What could be better?

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• all purpose flour
• baking soda and kosher salt
• granulated white sugar
• unsalted butter
• buttermilk
• vanilla extract
• eggs and egg yolk
• ripe bananas
• cream cheese

✏️ How to make Cheesecake Banana Bread:

*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, and then dust with flour (or use baking spray).

MAKE THE BANANA BREAD BATTER:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
2. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, buttermilk, vanilla, egg and egg yolk until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir until combined. Stir in the mashed bananas.

MAKE THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:

In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, egg, flour and sugar.

ASSEMBLE and BAKE:

1. Pour half of the banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Then add spoonfuls of the cheesecake filling on top and smooth it into an even layer. Top with the remaining banana bread batter.
2. Bake for about 1 hour, until the bread is golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool before removing from the pan and slicing.

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• I have good luck substituting applesauce for butter in quick bread recipes. I have not tried it in this recipe, but I would think it would work here too.
• It’s okay to use reduced-fat cream cheese in this recipe.
• The more brown spots your bananas have, the sweeter your bread will be.
• I know you can make your own buttermilk, but I find that regular, store-bought buttermilk works best in baking recipes.

Storage and Make Ahead Tips:

Cheesecake banana bread will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or you can store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

Best Banana Bread Recipes:

• Strawberry Oatmeal Banana Bread
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Sour Cream Banana Bread
• Pineapple Banana Bread
• Kona Inn Banana Bread

Almond Flour Bagels

I’d been eager to try this different take on bagels for a long time after many reader questions about whether or not almond flour would work with my 2-ingredient bagel recipe. I finally got around to it last week when my sister was visiting. They come together easily, with only two basic ingredients and they look just like a regular bagel, but …. they’re not! Don’t get me wrong, these bagels are a good low-carb, gluten free-alternative, but the texture is less bread like and a little more on the crumbly side. We were a little mixed on whether or not we liked them, but we did find that we liked them best toasted with a slather of cream cheese or peanut butter. Give them a try, experiment with the toppings and let me know what you think. Note that almond flour is a bit expensive, so it’s somewhat of an expensive experiment!

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• super-fine almond flour
• Greek yogurt (use Fage brand for the best results)
• egg
• everything bagel seasoning (or toppings of your choice)

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• Note that this recipe is for mini bagels. If you’d like to make them larger, divide dough into 4 pieces and bake a few minutes longer.
• Experiment with different toppings your family enjoys. I think a little cinnamon-sugar blend would delicious.
• I’ve only tried these with almond flour, but you could experiment with other nut flours like hazelnut, coconut or cashew flour. Each would give the bagels a slightly different flavor.
• Remember, the texture of these bagels is NOT like a traditional bagel. It’s more like the texture of many other gluten-free breads.

✔️ How to store Almond Flour Bagels:

These bagels are best stored in the refrigerator. It helps to firm them up, making them easier to slice in half for toasting.

Favorite Breakfast Breads:

• Cinnamon Pecan Bread
• No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch Zucchini Bread
• Cream Scones
• Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• salted butter
• demerara or turbinado sugar
• eggs
• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• ground cinnamon
• Lyle’s Golden Syrup (see notes in the recipe card below)
• soft, dried figs

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• I don’t recommend you use anything but Lyle’s Golden Syrup. You can find it at World Market or another international market, or you can buy it online.
• Substitute chopped dried dates, cranberries or apricots for the figs, if you’d like.
• Demerara/turbinado sugars are thick sugar crystals. It’s important to locate this type of sugar for this recipe. Brown sugar won’t do. They should have at least one of them near the regular sugar in your market, or you can certainly buy it online.

✔️ How to Store:

Caramel fig bread can be stored in a covered container or large zip baggie at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. If refrigerated, it will keep fresh for more than a week. And if well-wrapped, it can be frozen for up to 3 months.