Banana bread sandwich

A toasty sweet treat

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Two hunks of fresh or toasty grilled banana bread can be sandwiched with sweet ingredients, such as ice cream, grilled bananas, or peanut butter and jelly. Banana bread is a quick bread - a sweet, cakey type made with baking soda instead of yeast - that contains mashed ripe bananas. It is typically flavoured with vanilla extract, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. Making banana bread from scratch is easy, but for a truly low-maintenance brunch, a store-bought loaf is your best bet. Thanks to well-known chefs such as Paula Deen, this old-fashioned favourite has been getting a lot of attention as the foundation of a delicious dessert sandwich.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf banana bread, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 ripe bananas, sliced on the diagonal

Vanilla spice cream cheese

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon pure maple extract

Directions
1 In a bowl with a mixer, combine cream cheese and cinnamon. Slowly add vanilla, maple syrup, and maple extract, beating until smooth and fluffy.

2 Butter both sides of banana bread slices. Place on a hot griddle and toast 2 minutes per side; set aside. In the same griddle, melt butter, add banana slices, and cook 1 minute per side, or until golden. Sandwich cream cheese mixture and grilled bananas and serve warm.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Also try:

• Banana bread tea sandwiches: Cut sandwiches into finger-length pieces.
• Banana bread PB & Js: Use banana bread instead of white bread.
• Banana bread Elvis: Smother sliced bananas with bacon and peanut butter on grilled banana bread.
• Banana bread ice cream sandwiches: Place a scoup or two of ice cream between two slices of grilled banana bread.

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Excerpted from The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches by Susan Russo Copyright © 2011 by Susan Russo. Excerpted by permission of Quirk Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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