Banana Cream Cheese Bread with Peanut Butter Streusel

Banana and Peanut Butter both have distinct flavors and they pair together so deliciously!  The combination always reminds me of Elvis “The Pelvis” Presley!  *hubba-hubba!*  

And there’s good reason for that…

“ChocolaTess” Trivia: The peanut butter and banana sandwich has been referred to as a favorite of Elvis Presley. Sometimes crisp bacon was added in!  It’s no wonder, people go ga-ga over this sweet little number!

Which I’m kind of rethinking this whole banana bread recipe NOW and adding in the bacon, either as a topping or inside the banana bread.  😉  Always rethinking! and thinking some more…it’s a vicious cycle in my head.

So just to clue you in on a few details about this scrumptious banana bread.. It has cream cheese in the batter which gives it a velvety, fluffy, lush texture.

I’m telling you, it’s “to die for”…and just about when you are ready to do the ‘die for’ thing, there’s this Peanut Butter Streusel baked in on top of the bread.  Are you kidding me?? It tastes like crunchy peanut butter cookies on top of this Banana Cream Cheese Bread.  You can leave the peanut butter streusel off if you don’t want the extra!

For other change-ups, in that batter you could even add in some walnuts, some chocolate chips, if that’s your thing…OR bacon and completely go full Elvis on me!. 🙂  

You should make this!  My husband is not really a banana bread kind of guy, so I was shocked that he ate several slices, while I was sleeping. 

#himthinkingIwouldntnotice #whichIalwaysdo #Ijustknow #youcantfoolmemylove!

But I guess you could say he must have somewhat liked it? Right? He says he’s not a peanut butter person either, but I keep finding his hand in the cookie jar…eating peanut butter stuff.  He’s not very convincing, is he?  🙂

My *Hubba-Hubba*  For more banana bread recipes, check out this Tropical Bliss Pineapple Coconut Banana Bread {Gluten Free} or Chocolate Swirl Peanut Butter Lovers Banana Bread.

Here’s the recipe!  xoxo! Enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Excellent Banana Cream Cheese Bread

Cream cheese makes this classic banana bread unbelievably moist, fluffy and light. The peanut butter streusel with the peanut butter and milk chocolate chips adds a nice, rich texture to the banana bread. No wonder it's a favorite!

Prep Time25 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana, banana bread, BREAD, breakfast, brunch, cream cheese, peanut butter, quick bread, snack

Servings: 10 Servings

Author: Kim Lange

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Streusel

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter or peanut butter of choice or can substitute in 1 teaspoon cinnamon for Cinnamon Streusel.

Banana Cream Cheese Bread

• 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pkg. PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese 8 oz., softened
• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup mashed fully ripe bananas or 3 - 4 bananas pureed or mashed
• 2 eggs

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350°F.

Peanut Butter Streusel

• Make streusel by combining the flour and brown sugar In a small bowl.
• Cut in the butter and peanut butter with a pastry blender so the mixture starts to resemble small peas. Then put mixture in ziplock bag and smoosh up more to get crumbles. Place in fridge while you make the banana cream cheese bread. It's to help the crumble from melting into the bread, to give it a crunchy texture. (Also can be made in food processor by adding all peanut butter streusel ingredients and pulsing to get crumbles.)

Banana Cream Cheese Loaf

• Prepare a 9x5-inch loaf pan and grease and lightly flour or line with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda in small bowl and set aside.
• Using mixer, beat softened cream cheese, softened butter and sugar together in large bowl with mixer until blended.
• Add eggs one at a time and mix into the mixture then repeat.
• Add flour mixture and mix in until combined. Add mashed bananas and fold in.
• Transfer to 9x5 baking pan, or 2 8x4 pans if you want smaller loafs.
• Sprinkle peanut butter streusel over the banana batter and pat down into the batter gently, to keep the streusel from crumbling a lot when slicing.
• Bake 45-55 minutes for 9x5 pan. Bake 30-40 min. for 2 loaf recipe, 15-20 minutes for muffins.
• If necessary, shield the top with foil for last 15 mins to prevent browning.

Baking

• Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.
• Cool completely.