What better way to finish off a few forgotten bananas than to make banana bread? Or maybe they weren’t forgotten in the first place! Perhaps this was all preplanned? In my case, it’s always preplanned. I bring a few extra bananas home in hopes of making banana bread. Key word is few, as in three. If I have two left over, they just end up in my chia pudding or someone eats them. If I have a solid three bananas and they’re gracefully aging, they’re game for delicious banana bread!
I’ve had many types of banana bread but my favorite by far is this recipe I now always use. While bananas are a key ingredient, chocolate chips, pecans and a diet breaking cinnamon crunch topping are close runners up in this batch of goodness! You don’t get to enjoy the cinnamon crunch topping just once though! There’s a surprise ribbon of it in the center of the loaf waiting for your taste buds to literally explode.
A great way to have banana bread is by pan toasting a thick slice and having it with whipped butter or whipped cream. SO.SO.GOOD. Our banana bread literally flies, so there’s hardly any toasting involved. Good thing I’m a busy super mom with a plethora of priorities, otherwise I’d be making banana bread weekly and trust me, my hips already don’t lie!
Another great way to have it is with tea or coffee! I’m one of the few people in the world who don’t depend on tea or coffee to function (yeah seriously!), but enjoy a cup of coffee with cream but no sugar from time to time, especially when it goes with a decadent dessert like banana bread. The strong bitter coffee lets banana bread shine in its own glory!
Okay enough with the rambles! Here’s the recipe!
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Ingredients for Banana Bread:
Bananas – 3 very ripe
Flour – 1 and 1/2 cup
Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
Baking powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Canola oil – 1/4 cup
Eggs – 2
Milk – 1/3 cup
Nuts – 1/2 cup (pecans or walnuts)
Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal – 1 and 1/2 packet. Alternatively, you can use 3/4 cup instant oats and add 1/3 cup brown sugar.
Chocolate chips – 2/3 cup semi sweet
Cinnamon Crunch Topping:
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Cinnamon – 1 tsp
Flour – 2 tbsp
Butter – 2 tbsp room temp
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Spray non-stick cooking spray into a 9×5 inch loaf pan and lightly coat with flour
3. In a mixing bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt and packet of oatmeal and mix
4. In a separate mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, oil and mashed bananas. I like to coarsely mash mine so they add more complexity to the texture of the bread.
5. In another separate bowl, add cinnamon crunch topping ingredients and mix
6. Combine contents of bowls from #3 and #4 and mix by hand, then add chocolate chips and give it one more mix.
7. Pour half the banana bread batter into the loaf pan
8. Diffusely sprinkle half the cinnamon crunch topping so it is entirely coated and then add any extra chocolate chips to the top
9. Pour remaining mixture into pan and coat with remaining topping
10. Bake for approximately 55 to 60 minutes.
*Tip* When checking to see if banana bread or any cake is done, stick clean toothpick or knife into the center and pull out. If it comes out clean, the bread/cake is done! If not clean, return cake/bread back into oven for 5 to 7 more minutes and try again.
Enjoy!
