Brown Butter Banana Bread for the three sad bananas on my counter

Every counter has them: three bananas gone too far to eat but too good to toss. This is their happy ending. The one move that matters here is browning the butter — it's five extra minutes and it makes the whole loaf taste toasty and caramel-y.

What you need

• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup butter, browned and cooled a little
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda, pinch of salt
• Cinnamon if you like it

How it goes

1. Brown the butter: melt it in a light pan and keep going, swirling, until it smells nutty and the bits at the bottom go golden-brown. Pull it off the heat.
2. Whisk the browned butter with the sugar, then the eggs, vanilla, and mashed bananas.
3. Fold in the dry stuff — just until it comes together, don't overmix.
4. Bake at 350°F in a greased loaf pan for about 50–55 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.

Cooling it is the hardest part. Give it 20 minutes in the pan if you can stand it.

Make it yours

Chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, a swirl of peanut butter on top before it bakes. What's your one non-negotiable banana bread add-in? I'm always taking suggestions.