1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana – about 3 regular sized bananas
1/2 cup full fat coconut cream
1 cup chopped pineapple (canned, drained) Note: do not use crushed
1 cup unsweetened coconut chips (for the top)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line a standard sized loaf pan with parchment paper, set aside. In a large bowl mix together melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. I used an electric mixer but you can also do this by hand if you don't have one. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together: flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat just until incorporated. Add in mashed banana and coconut cream and beat until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl. Gently fold in chopped pineapple and transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with coconut chips. Bake on the center rack for 70-75 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean from the center without any batter sticking to it. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes in pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Cool completely to room temperature before slicing with a serrated knife. Notes: This is a very moist bread due to the coconut cream and pineapple so it does take a bit longer in the oven than other banana bread recipes. Just be patient and use a toothpick to test doneness. The coconut will start to toast up very quickly in the oven, don't be alarmed! My loaf baked the entire 75 minutes and the coconut never burnt. If your loaf is getting too dark you can alway tent it with foil and continue baking. Allow loaf to cool completely before slicing.