Banana Boat Cupcakes.
Good. I’ll start.
How about the fact that my major in college was information technology yet I can’t even install a plugin on this blog? True story.
Or that I keep praying to little baby Jesus that my husband’s snoring… “situation”… will somehow change without me holding his breathe right strip-covered nose and placing my hand on top of his mouth every single night?
Oh! Like how I made us healthy “salads” last night for dinner following a pulled pork + cornbread fest on Sunday night, then used an entire log of goat cheese, candied pecans, really thick bacon, brown sugar chicken and crispy shallots? Funny haha.
Maybe, like… and I shouldn’t even tell you, but 10 days after returning home from a trip how my ziplock bagged toiletries are still sitting on the steps – the steps which I climb no less than 10 times a day – and I just drop whatever I’m doing with one contact in my eye or a face full of soap to run and get what I need?
And finally… the fact that I have seriously convinced myself that these cupcakes are the perfect snack – and even a somewhat healthy snack to boot – since they are made with pretzels and fruit and peanut butter? Like, tons of protein here.
I wish you could live inside my mind. I have leeetle feeling I could justify those $250 jeans you want to buy or the brownies you want to eat for dinner. We could have a lot of fun together.
Last week I briefly mentioned that my mom used to make us “banana boats” when we were kids: a slice of bread smeared with peanut butter, a banana placed on top, the sides of the bread folded up like a sandwich and the entire thing skewered together with salty pretzel sticks. So good. So comforting.
Seriously.
And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. I am a huge believer that most fruit + nut butter combinations solve all problems. Need energy? Apple and peanut butter to the rescue. Want a midnight snack? Strawberries dipped in melted chocolate macaroon almond butter. Need something filling yet light? Figs and pecan butter.
Just.do.it people.
So these cupcakes? They aren’t super sweet or super chocolaty. In fact… I’m sort of deciding right this minute that they are a banana muffin with a pretzel crust and a dollop of sugar on top. You could totally swap the dollop of sugar for some melted peanut butter and then they really ARE a snack. A real snack. You know, as opposed to a… fake snack.
Either way… you should eat some.
Pretzel Bottomed Banana Bread Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
makes 12-14 cupcakes
pretzel crust
1 1/4 cups crushed salted pretzels
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Combine crushed pretzels and butter in a bowl and stir until entire mixture is moistened. Line a muffin tin with lines and using a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop pretzels into the bottom of each liner. Use the back of the spoon to flatten and press the pretzels together.
cake
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 large egg
3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside. In a bowl, whisk egg and add brown sugar, mixing until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Add melted butter and mix. Stir in dry ingredients, then add mashed bananas and mix until batter comes together. Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop batter on top of each pretzel crust.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown on the top and set. Let cool completely.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 teaspoons milk, if needed
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add in vanilla extract then gradually add in sugar and cocoa with the mixer on low speed until entirely combined and smooth. If frosting it a bit too thick, add in milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it becomes a bit creamier. Frost cupcakes, then top with crushed pretzels if desired.
Your turn!
137 Comments on “Banana Boat Cupcakes.”
Not even gonna lie…kinda started drooling when you mentioned pretzels, peanut butter and bananas!
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Just wanted to say that the cake recipe for a “banana bread” is the most delicious banana recipe I have ever made. The nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla all together just make it so much more tasty. One thing about the frosting, it is a little overbearing in flavor, do you have any advice on how to make it more consistent with the cake itself?
Like you want the frosting to taste like bananas too? Maybe try a banana extract in a regular vanilla buttercream recipe? I think adding actual bananas would make it brown and spoil.
Chocolate Peanut Butter frosting? OH YUM! BOOKMARKING!!!
if i want to frost the cupcakes like you did, should I double the amount of frosting ?
Recipe looks fantastic, can’t wait to try !
Recipe is amazing, It made 12 regular size cupcakes and 11 mini’s I made 1.5 batches of the frosting. This recipe is definitely a keeper ! :) thanks
I made a version of this cupcake last night with whole wheat flour and chocolate chips! This is the best cupcake ever, so moist and the frosting is delicious!
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Just wanted to give you the heads up that I found this post copied . . . pictures, recipe, no credit. Blech. http://www.quickneasyrecipes.net/pretzel-bottomed-banana-bread-cupcakes-with-chocolate-peanut-butter-frosting/
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wowza! this recipe is just the NOM-diggty! I can’t wait to try it and thank you so much for sharing. I’m going to whop some jaws! lol
Hi!
I was just wondering if the pretzel crust holds well together once the liner is taken off. I noticed you didn’t precook the crust before adding the cake batter. Is that what makes everything hold?? They just look so awesome, but since where I’m planning to take them to, people won’t have plates, i’m wondering if the cupcakes will make a mess… Thanks for your answer!
this is heaven. made it, devoured it. A++ ! :)
Browsed all your banana recipes and tried these- the pretzel and butter bottoms benefit from some sugar and baked for a few minutes prior to the batter. Â I was hoping for a crunchy bottom and it wasn’t
BUT.  Adding the sugar and baking  first- makes them really delicious.  Love how intense the banana flavor is and that it made exactly a dozen for me– didn’t even bother with the icing!!
These look so, so good!