A toasty sweet treat
Two hunks of fresh or toasty grilled banana bread can be sandwiched with sweet ingredients, such as ice cream, grilled bananas, or peanut butter and jelly. Banana bread is a quick bread - a sweet, cakey type made with baking soda instead of yeast - that contains mashed ripe bananas. It is typically flavoured with vanilla extract, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. Making banana bread from scratch is easy, but for a truly low-maintenance brunch, a store-bought loaf is your best bet. Thanks to well-known chefs such as Paula Deen, this old-fashioned favourite has been getting a lot of attention as the foundation of a delicious dessert sandwich.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf banana bread, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 ripe bananas, sliced on the diagonal

Vanilla spice cream cheese

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon pure maple extract

Directions
1 In a bowl with a mixer, combine cream cheese and cinnamon. Slowly add vanilla, maple syrup, and maple extract, beating until smooth and fluffy.

2 Butter both sides of banana bread slices. Place on a hot griddle and toast 2 minutes per side; set aside. In the same griddle, melt butter, add banana slices, and cook 1 minute per side, or until golden. Sandwich cream cheese mixture and grilled bananas and serve warm.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Also try:

• Banana bread tea sandwiches: Cut sandwiches into finger-length pieces.
• Banana bread PB & Js: Use banana bread instead of white bread.
• Banana bread Elvis: Smother sliced bananas with bacon and peanut butter on grilled banana bread.
• Banana bread ice cream sandwiches: Place a scoup or two of ice cream between two slices of grilled banana bread.

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Excerpted from The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches by Susan Russo Copyright © 2011 by Susan Russo. Excerpted by permission of Quirk Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.