I love the aroma that fills my home from baking a fresh loaf of nut bread. Particularly banana nut bread. My husband is a sucker for most quick breads containing nuts and fruit, and usually asks me to make one as soon as the bananas turn brown. Whenever possible, I will double the recipe and stick the extra loaf in the freezer to be used at another time. Some of these recipes date back from when my mom was a young girl passed down through generations.
Nut Bread Fun Facts:
- December 22 is national date nut bread day
- Most nut breads do not contain yeast
- Banana nut bread is considered one of the most popular quick breads
- Zucchini is used in some nut breads to give it a moist, rich taste
Zucchini Nut Bread
My kids love whenever I whip up nut bread. However, they are not really fond of zucchini. This is a recipe I will make when everyone is out of the house so I can secretly use the zucchini in the back of my refrigerator. You can’t taste the zucchini, but I believe it makes this recipe extra moist. My kids have never complained or hinted otherwise and it’s gone in less than two days (score for mom). This pairs really well with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting included below.
Ingredients
Bread
- 1½ cups Bisquick
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated green and yellow zucchini
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 block cream cheese
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together one and one-half cups of Bisquick, one teaspoon of baking soda, and one-quarter teaspoon of cinnamon.
- In a separate large bowl, blend one-quarter cup of sugar, two beaten eggs, one-half cup of vegetable oil, and one teaspoon of vanilla.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until incorporated, being careful not to over mix.
- Fold in the grated zucchini and chopped pecans. Place the grated zucchini in a cloth or paper towel and wring it to get out the excess moisture before adding it to the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the bread pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- To prepare the frosting, place one block of cream cheese, one quarter of a cup of unsalted butter, one tablespoon of cinnamon and one cup of icing sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix using an electric hand mixer until it reaches a smooth consistency. Spread over the zucchini nut bread and store in the refrigerator.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Date Nut Bread
I have to be honest when I say I’ve never really liked the taste of dates. That changed a few years ago when I visited Dubai and sampled a few. Of course, the dates that we are used to buying in the grocery stores don’t taste as fresh, but they are still delicious. I find this date nut bread goes well with warm butter or a wonderful maple cream cheese frosting which I have included. I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 cup boiling water
- 8 oz dates
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2½ cups Bisquick
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 blocks cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup icing sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees. Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, add one cup of boiling water, eight ounces of dates and two tablespoons of butter. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat one egg, three quarter cups of white sugar and one-quarter of a cup of brown sugar. Mix until smooth.
- Add two and one-half cups of Bisquick and continue mixing until well incorporated.
- Stir in one-half cup of walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for forty-five minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- To prepare the frosting, place two blocks of cream cheese, one cup of icing sugar, and one-half cup of maple syrup in a large mixing bowl. Whip until smooth using an electric hand mixer. Spread over the date nut bread, or frost slices individually as desired.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Banana Nut Bread
This is one of my favorites next to a lemon loaf of course. You can’t beat the smell of banana nut bread wafting throughout your home.
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed bananas
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups Bisquick
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees. Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add two cups of mashed bananas, one-half cup of vegetable oil, one and one-quarter cups of buttermilk, two eggs and two teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- Add two cups of Bisquick, one-half cup of sugar and one teaspoon of baking soda and continue mixing until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Stir in one-half cup of walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately one hour.
- Transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Slice and serve with warm butter. Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Final Thought
Nut breads are super simple to prepare, take roughly an hour from start to finish and taste great. They make a perfect on the go breakfast, mid-afternoon snack or a perfect ending to a wonderful meal. I hope you try some of these wonderful recipes and enjoy them just as much as my family and I do.
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