Caramelized Bananas With Pecan-Coconut Crunch

By Yewande Komolafe

Published December 5, 2019

  • Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(304)
Comments
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This cozy dessert comes together quickly and fills the kitchen with a sweet, buttery aroma. The textures play well together: The spiced caramel is silky but robust, the bananas tender, and the pecan-and-coconut topping crunchy and crisp. Pick ripe but firm bananas so they’ll maintain their shape after cooking. (The bananas should be yellow with no black spots; green bananas won’t work.) Broil them until sizzling, then allow the bubbling caramel to cool and thicken a bit before serving. Devoured directly out of the skillet, or spooned into individual servings, these caramelized bananas are a lovely way to end a meal. Top with a scoop of ice cream for a cool contrast to the warm dessert.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE PECAN-COCONUT CRUNCH

  • 4 tablespoons/55 grams unsalted butter (½ stick)

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • ½ cup/50 grams shelled pecans, chopped

  • ¼ cup/35 grams raw pumpkin seeds

  • ¼ cup/20 grams rolled oats

  • ¼ cup/20 grams large coconut chips or flakes

  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds or any other small seed

FOR THE BANANAS

  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons/85 grams dark brown sugar

  • ¼ cup/60 milliliters heavy cream

  • Pinch of nutmeg

  • Pinch of black pepper

  • 4 to 5 ripe but firm bananas (about 1 ¾ pounds/795 grams), peeled and halved lengthwise

  • Ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

97 grams carbs; 55 milligrams cholesterol; 712 calories; 12 grams monosaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 37 grams fat; 10 grams fiber; 268 milligrams sodium; 9 grams protein; 67 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the crunchy topping: In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium until melted and foamy, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon honey and the salt; using a spatula, stir to combine. Add the pecans, pumpkin seeds, oats and coconut and stir to coat. Toast, stirring frequently, until the mixture is golden brown, about 8 minutes, lowering the heat as necessary to keep the mixture from burning. Stir in the sesame seeds and remove from heat. Move to a shallow bowl and set aside to cool. (You should have about 1 ½ cups.)

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the bananas: Set the oven to broil. Wipe out the skillet and add the brown sugar, heavy cream, nutmeg, pepper, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon honey. Stir ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Remove the skillet from the heat and place the bananas in the pan, cut-side up. Spoon some of the sauce over the top to coat the slices. Move the pan to the oven and broil until the caramel sauce is hot and bubbly and the bananas are tender, deep golden and slightly charred in spots, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Spoon a large helping of the ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche over the warm bananas, then scatter the pecan-coconut crunch over the top. Divide among individual plates or eat directly from the skillet.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
304 user ratings
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Comments

Robin

Or, just die happy.

Edmond

After serving, immediately proceed to Peleton for 75 minutes.

Lois

Do NOT move the crunchy topping to a shallow bowl (It will all clump together). Spread out the topping immediately onto a sheet of parchment paper while you broil your bananas.

Elaine

Served this as part of a brunch meal and it was my favorite part! I don't love sweet breakfast/brunch dishes so I left the honey out of my toasted seed garnish and used salted butter. Left everything else as is. Watched the bananas while broiling to avoid scorching and they came out perfectly! This is a fun way to use up extra banana and can be modified as needed for fewer calories easily if desired

JGP

The Crunch recipe calls for 2T honey, yet then only uses 1, by the way. I’ve used 2. Also, be careful with the kosher salt! It can easily be a bit much.

Barbara R.

The crunchy topping was very good but the bananas burnt to a crisp even though I didn’t put them up close to the broiler. Luckily I put the crunchy topping over raspberries and vanilla ice cream that I had.

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