Vanilla Bark Covered Banana Bread Bites

When my oldest son was only 6 months old, I was hired for the BEST job I've ever had. I took my baby with me to nanny for a family with three kids. Three days a week, I cared for my 6 month old, her 16 month old, 4 and 6 year olds. Now...you may think I'm a little crazy. But I grew up in a family of six kids. AND...my mom did daycare at our house.  I was always surrounded by a small village, and so this job was a cakewalk.

Speaking of cake, my friend used to make THE best banana bread. Those mornings I arrived and that bread was sitting out for me - oh my goodness! I sometimes wonder if the second loaf was made just for me :) She allowed me to write down the recipe and on it I actually wrote: Banana Nut Bread {More Like a Dessert!}

Once you try this, you'll know why.

So I haven't made this bread in over five years. Mostly because she was making it for me then and because the recipe got stashed in a pile and forgotten.  But when you find four overripe frozen bananas throughout your freezer, you RUN and find that card.

What does this have to do with poker night? Well, because this banana bread is so dense, I thought it could be easily cubed and then dunked in the vanilla almond bark I found in the pantry.  A perfect finger food dessert for friends!

So basically, it's like a two for one recipe post! Aren't you lucky :)

You will need:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 medium ripe bananas
1 cup chopped almonds, toasted
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp water

Almond bark, melted in a double boiler, for dipping



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and cream cheese at a medium speed in your stand mixer, until creamy.

Gradually add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time. Beat until just blended. Then combine dry ingredients in a seperate bowl. On low speed, gradually add dry ingredients to the butter mix, one spoonful at a time, until combined. Stir in bananas, 3/4 cup almonds, and vanilla until combined.

Spoon into two greased and floured 8x4 inch pans. Top with remaining almonds and bake for one hour. Shield the tops with tinfoil the last 15 minutes to prevent over browning. Bread is done when the blade of a butter knife inserted into the top comes out nearly clean.

Allow bread to cool in pan for five minutes and then turn onto a baking rack to cool completely. Make the sugar glaze by combining 1 cup of powdered sugar and 3 tbsp water, and drizzle on top of the bread.  

Serve immediately or seal and refrigerate in a Ziploc bag to make Vanilla Covered Banana Bread Bites, like this:

When the bread is cold and out of the fridge, slice it into one inch or larger cubes.  Using a double boiler {which is a heat proof bowl sitting over a saucepan with two inches of simmering water}, melt the Almond Bark. Using a toothpick, skewer a cube of banana bread, dunk it into the vanilla bark, and place on a foiled baking sheet to set. I put mine in the freezer to speed up the process.

Either serve on the stick or remove stick and place them into a bowl as dessert finger food. Add sprinkles, chocolate chips, or any other sweet edible you can get your hands on if you want to gussy them up a bit.

These are little bites of heaven - vanilla bark coated or not. 

OR...JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE & WHOLE, LIKE THIS!

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