After falling back in love with banana bread, I’ve been having a ton of fun playing around with different flavors! My funfetti banana bread was such a hit I decided to continue following my husband’s suggestions and make this s’mores banana bread.

I wanted this banana bread to be packed with that campfire-inspired, toasted marshmallow flavor.

Giving This S’mores Banana Bread Its Campfire Flavor

This s’mores banana bread is filled with marshmallows and chocolate chips, but that didn’t feel like quite enough campfire flavor.

While I do add marshmallows into the batter, they totally dissolve as the banana bread bakes.

And when I say they dissolve, I mean they completely vanish and leave no trace! When you cut in, all you’ll see are the chocolate chips.

While it’s fun knowing they melted into the banana bread, I wanted to add a marshmallow component that’s actually visible once it’s baked. More importantly, I wanted to be able to toast the marshmallow!

My solution was to add a toasted marshmallow topping. It’s super easy to make and so much fun to toast!

I also added a bit more chocolate by drizzling a chocolate ganache under the marshmallow topping.

Not only do decorations enhance the flavor, they also make this banana bread a real show stopper.

I never thought I’d describe something as humble as banana bread as a smoke show, but here we are.

Why is It Better to Use Overripe Bananas In Banana Bread?

Most banana bread recipes insist on using only the ripest bananas, including this one. But why are overripe bananas better to bake with??

There are actually several reasons. The first is that as a banana ripens, more of its starch is converted into sugar. This creates sweeter, more tender baked goods.

Another benefit of baking with super ripe bananas is that they’re super easy to mash up. This ensures your banana bread has a uniform, even texture without any unexpected chunks of banana.

Overripe bananas are also more aromatic and give baked goods a more intense banana flavor than yellow bananas.

The final and best reason (in my opinion) is that it uses up overripe fruit that would otherwise go to waste!

With all that being said, this recipe will still turn out if you use yellow bananas. It just won’t have as intense of a banana flavor!

Baking Hack: How to Quickly Ripen Bananas for Banana Bread

If you only have yellow bananas and want that intense banana flavor, don’t worry!

You can easily turn yellow bananas brown in a matter of minutes. Preheat your oven to 300 F/150 C and place your unpeeled bananas on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake them for about 15 minutes, until the banana skin is uniformly dark in color.

Let them cool on that pan for 10 minutes, then carefully peel and mash them.

Substitutions and Swaps

While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand!

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe:

• Overripe Bananas – If you don’t have overripe bananas on hand, bake yellow bananas at 350 F for about 15 minutes until the skin of the bananas are black.
• Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice really helps enhance the banana flavor in this recipe and prevents the mashed bananas from browning!
• All Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use cake flour or a gluten free flour blend in its place if needed.
• Oil – Any type of flavorless oil will work in this recipe! Canola, vegetable, sunflower, you name it! I wouldn’t recommend using olive oil though, it has too strong of a flavor.

• Granulated Sugar – I think this banana bread has just the right amount of sweetness, but you can either increase or decrease the amount of sugar by 1/2 cup based on your preferences.
• Buttermilk – You can also use whole milk, skim milk, full-fat yogurt, sour cream, dairy-free yogurt, or dairy-free milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free.
• Eggs – If you don’t have eggs on hand or can’t eat eggs, you can use flaxseed eggs in their place or 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce.
• Chocolate chips – you can use milk, dark or semi-sweet chocolate to make the chocolate drizzle! Just be sure it’s a good quality chocolate, so it will melt down smoothly with the heavy cream.
• Heavy Cream – Whipping cream can be used in place of the heavy cream to make the chocolate drizzle, but I don’t recommend using milk for this. It’s too thin and will throw off the consistency of the ganache.
• Egg Whites – A great vegan substitute for 1 egg white is two tablespoons of aquafaba (chickpea liquid).

Tips for Making The Best S’mores Banana Bread:

• Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure and then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
• DO NOT OVERMIX YOUR BATTER! It will make your banana bread tense and chewy. Once you start to mix in the flour, be sure to mix the batter JUST until it’s combined. It’s ok if you can still see a little bit of flour, it will get mixed in after you add the bananas.
• To make gluten free banana bread, swap in your favorite GF flour blend for the AP flour in this recipe. Be sure to overmix your batter (helps give GF baked goods proper structure) and let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.
• Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set cold ingredients ahead of time.
• Bang your loaf pans on the counter before putting it in the oven. This brings any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface
• Top your banana bread batter with graham cracker crumbs once it’s in the pan to give the banana bread a caramelized and crunchy top!
• Decorate your banana bread with a bit of chocolate ganache and toasted marshmallow frosting to make it even prettier.

Making This S’mores Banana Bread in Advance & Storage Tips:

You can make this s’mores banana bread in advance! If stored in an airtight container, it can last overnight at room temp, up to a week in the fridge, or up to a month in the freezer.

It freezes extremely well, so don’t be afraid to make a double batch and freeze a loaf! Just wait to add the ganache and marshmallow topping until after you thaw it.

I like to wrap the banana bread in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil to lock in all the moisture.

When I’m ready to enjoy one of the frozen loaves, I move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before. Then I set it out at room temperature to let it thaw for a few hours before decorating it.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this s’mores banana bread recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media!

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