Bananarama

Banana bread. It seems so easy. So simple and delicious. Such a great, frugal way to not waste the bananas that are just a little too gross to eat. But let me tell you, my friends, banana bread was my nemesis for a long, cruel while. I've made a lot of crappy banana bread in my lifetime. Burned. Uncooked. Falling apart. Dry. Slimy. I'm pretty sure I've discovered every single way banana bread can possibly suck.

Until, after years of failed experimentation. I found this recipe. Its simple, quick, and heavy on the bananas. It can be topped with nuts or chocolate, or can hold it's own with all its banana glory. Which, truth be told, is how I prefer it :) So on Superbowl Sunday morning, cup of coffee in hand, I set off to conquer this closet-challenge of my baking repertoire....

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

4 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 tsp vanilla

1.5 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

Per usual, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, and vanilla and mix together until smooth.

Mash the bananas with a fork until there are no more large chunks. Add to the wet ingredients in the mixer. Blend together, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl.

Sift together the dry ingredients. I decided to experiment with some whole wheat flour, in a weak attempt to make all my baking a bit more healthy. I used 1 cup regular flour and .5 cups whole wheat. No reason to go TOO crazy with the healthy stuff.....

Add the dry ingredients slowly to the mixing bowl and blend until smooth.

Spread into a greased bread pan. I like using a pan that's a little wider and more shallow than a standard bread pan because it allows the bread to cook more evenly. Top with chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or if you're a plane Jane like me when it comes to your B-Bread, just some granulated sugar. yummm

Bake at 350 for 50 - 60 minutes. Check around 45 minutes to make sure it isn't charred, just for good measure, since that's happened to me more than once.

Enjoy! I like mine with a cup of coffee, and some baileys if available :)