Bananas Taste Like Dessert When Sprinkled With This Pantry Staple

Move over, banana bread — there's a new way to enjoy super-sweet bananas, and it's way less effort than baking up a loaf of the good stuff. Caramelizing bananas in a pan on your stovetop (or in the oven, if you'd rather a set-it-and-forget-it method) with a bit of brown sugar from your pantry can create a quick snack, a simple start for a dessert, or a knock-your-socks-off breakfast in less than 15 minutes. Grab your bananas, spices (cinnamon goes a long way to boost the flavor of bananas), some brown sugar, fire up your pan, and get ready for your kitchen to smell like heaven.

The process is pretty simple, but watch your bananas closely as they caramelize — especially if you're using the stovetop — since they can burn quickly. The ripeness level of your bananas also plays a role in their flavor. It's why overripe bananas taste better in banana bread. When you're caramelizing bananas, you don't want bananas so ripe that they're ready for banana bread, but you certainly don't want them to be anywhere close to green. Wait until your bananas have some brown specks on the peel. They should be fairly sweet, but not mushy, creating the perfect ripeness middle ground for great flavor and a solid consistency.

While caramelizing bananas certainly takes a little bit more morning effort than popping oatmeal in the microwave, it's worth your while, especially if you have some extra time on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Heat up your oatmeal, top it off with your bananas, and add some cinnamon and nutmeg, or even a drizzle of pumpkin spice syrup if you want to feel cozy. You can also toss some warm caramelized bananas on top of plain yogurt for a burst of sweetness.

You can also use caramelized bananas for a quick, bananas foster-style dessert since they're less work. Top your caramelized bananas with chopped walnuts to create the same crunch you get from a full-on bananas foster recipe, and add a hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream. Be sure to drizzle it with the brown sugar-butter mixture you have left in the bottom of your pan. Once you give this a try and see how easy it is, you'll want to add caramelized banana and brown sugar flavor to anything and everything sweet.