Apple Coconut Banana Bread

I don't normally love coconut. Other than Magic Cookie Bars, I prefer my coconut on someone else's food. But this... This is some GOOD banana bread.

I was inspired by Our Best Bite's Lime Coconut Banana Bread. I used my favorite banana bread recipe, from my Betty Crocker Cookbook. I happened to have some cut up apple that needed used up, but thought it needed a little something extra. That's where the coconut comes in!

 

Recipe:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1/4 C butter
1/2 tbsp. apple pie spice
1/2 cup coconut, plus 2 tbsp for topping

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar, whisked together with 1 tbsp apple syrup and 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 8½ x4½ loaf pans, or 1 9x5 loaf pan.

In a medium sauce pan, melt 1/4 C butter over medium heat. Once melted, add apple chunks and apple pie spice. Saute for 5-7 minutes over medium heat, until apples are just tender. Set aside to cool while preparing banana bread batter.

Combine sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Fold in apple and ½ cup coconut. Pour into pans. Sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp coconut over top of batter.

Check after 40 minutes, covering with foil is coconut is getting browned. Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Drizzle tops of loaves with prepared glaze. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing.