Christmas Sugar Cookie Banana Bread (9×9 Pan)

Adapted from Sugar Cookie Banana Bread by Kristine in Between. Here’s how I make it.

I bake it in a 9×9 pan instead of a loaf pan, use Christmas sprinkles, swap in cake batter extract, add 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, and finish with a sprinkle of white sugar on top for crunch.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large or 4 small to medium)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk (any kind)
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cake batter extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup Christmas sprinkles (jimmies), plus extra for the top
• White sugar, for sprinkling on top

How to make it

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line a 9×9 pan with parchment.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in 30-second increments. Let it cool slightly.
3. Stir in the brown sugar and sugar until combined.
4. Add the mashed bananas, egg, milk, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and cake batter extract. Mix well.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Stir just until combined. A few streaks of flour are fine.
6. Gently fold in the Christmas sprinkles.
7. Spread the batter into the prepared 9×9 pan. Top with more Christmas sprinkles and a sprinkle of white sugar for crunch.
8. Bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Kristine’s loaf version is 60–65 minutes; a 9×9 bakes differently, so go by the toothpick, not a set clock.)
9. Cool in the pan about 30 minutes before slicing.

Notes

• Use very ripe bananas.
• Use jimmies-style Christmas sprinkles so the colors don’t bleed as much as nonpareils.
• Don’t overmix once the flour and sprinkles go in.
• Full original (loaf pan) recipe: Kristine in Between — Sugar Cookie Banana Bread.

Frequently asked questions

Why do you bake it in a 9×9 pan instead of a loaf pan?

That’s one of the changes in this version. A 9×9 bakes differently than a loaf, so go by a toothpick in the center coming out clean, not a set clock. The original loaf version is 60–65 minutes.

What makes this taste like a sugar cookie?

Cake batter extract, Christmas sprinkles, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, and a sprinkle of white sugar on top for crunch.

What kind of sprinkles work best?

Jimmies-style Christmas sprinkles, so the colors don’t bleed as much as nonpareils. Fold them in gently, and don’t overmix once the flour and sprinkles go in.

How ripe should the bananas be, and how long do you cool it?

Use very ripe bananas, about 1 1/2 cups mashed (3 large or 4 small to medium). Cool in the pan about 30 minutes before slicing.