Cream Cheese Banana Bread w/ Peanut Butter Crumble

As part of the display of food on the JAM table for our 365:24/7 series, was a bunch of bananas.  They were getting pretty old and nasty looking, so I brought them home with me Wednesday and decided to make something with them.  I knew I didn't want to make just plain banana bread, so I searched for recipes and came across this one on Southern Living's website for Cream Cheese Banana Bread with a Peanut Butter Crumble.  Cream Cheese and Peanut Butter make any dish better, and this bread has a crumble topping, which I'm a sucker for!  I took one of the loaves to an event at The Well House tonight, and when it was over I went back to the dining room to see if there was any left over, and the platter was empty.  I take that as a good sign!

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Peanut Butter Crumble

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. chopped pecans
• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 1 8oz. block cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 1 1/2 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 4)
• 1/2 tsp. vanillia extract
• 1/4 c. all purpose flour
• 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 2 tbl. creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. butter

Directions

• Preheat oven to *350.  Place pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 12-15 minutes, or until toasted.  Stirring after 6 minutes.
• Beat softened butter and cream cheese with a mixer until creamy.  Add sugar and eggs, one at a time, and beat until well-blended and creamy.
• Combine flours, baking powder and soda, and salt.  Gradually add to cream cheese mixture, alternately with buttermilk; beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Beat until just smooth after each addition.  Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla.
• Pour into two 8x4 inch greased loaf pans.
• Combine 1/4 c. all purpose flour and brown sugar.  Cut in peanut butter and butter until mixture is crumbly.  Lightly sprinkle mixture over batter in pans.
• Bake at 350* for 1 hour.  Shield with aluminum foil during last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary.  Let cool in in pan for 10 minutes in pans, then move to wire racks and let cool for another 30.