Salted Brown Butter Banana Cobbler

When you hear the word “cobbler,” you probably think of peach cobbler or berry cobbler. While those varieties are delicious, I wanted to try something off the beaten cobbler path and thus came to the conclusion that bananas and brown butter were going to happen.

This cobbler is adapted from a recipe in my Nana’s recipe box. Her handwritten recipe cards, while hard to decipher, always lead me to some of the best-tasting dishes ever. This cobbler is no different. Her recipe originally called for 2 cups of sugar, which literally made my eyes pop out of my face. I reduced the sugar significantly in my recipe, particularly because the bananas are naturally sweet on their own. To make it even better, I also combine cinnamon and cardamom, two spices that really make the bananas pop.

The batter is really simple, basically just milk and flour, and it gets poured directly into the baking dish along with 2 sticks of brown butter (sorry, but I’m not sorry). From there, you can really use any fruit you love, although I do recommend the bananas because they are SO good. If you decide to use something other than bananas, you may consider adding just a bit more sugar. Berries, stone fruit, cherries, etc. are less naturally sweet than the bananas are.

If you make this cobbler, be sure to bake it in your casserole dish with a cookie sheet underneath of it. The butter has a tendency to bubble over, which will wreak havoc on your oven.

Don’t forget to share your photos and tag me @theardentcook on Instagram! Enjoy!

Ingredients

3.5-4 bananas (about 1 ¼ pounds)

¾ cup sugar, divided

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

¾ tsp ground cardamom

2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

2 cups whole milk 

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. The butter will start to foam, then brown after about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 
3. While the butter browns, slice bananas about ¼ inch thick and add to a mixing bowl along with ¼ cup of the sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Fold to combine, being careful not to mush the bananas. 
4. Pour the browned butter directly into a 9x13inch glass baking dish, or baking container of a similar volume.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and remaining ½ cup of sugar. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract and whisk the entire mixture. Pour milk mixture over the browned butter in the baking dish and gently swirl together using a butter knife. The butter and batter will not fully combine due to the fat in the butter, which is ok!
6. Layer bananas into the baking dish on top of the batter and browned butter. Transfer to the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cobbler is golden and bubbling at the edges. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!