Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Quick and Easy Banana Bread

Don't you just love it when some things in life just come together so perfectly?  I'd gone through a string of not-so-great recipes and then I got super busy so there was minimal posting on my blog (as you may have noticed).  Last week, I wanted some bananas.  I love raw bananas - the greener, the better.  Yes, I'm weird, I know.  My husband doesn't like bananas.  Which, of course, means my husband is even weirder than me!  So I ate the bananas I wanted and I ended up having three sitting on my counter.  They'd started to turn black and since I'm a firm believer of "waste not, want not", I HAD to make something out of these bananas.  Knowing the husband wasn't going to be eating anything, I decided to make banana bread.  While I may not be the biggest fan (I'll eat it if I feel like it), my mom and best friend love banana bread.  I wanted to try out a somewhat simple recipe since it had been SO long since I'd made it.  Luckily, this turned out REALLY good (although not as good as my best friend's banana bread, who currently owns the title of "Best Banana Bread" in our families).  It's super simple and I'd bet you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now.

Quick and Easy Banana Bread
adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour

1/4 c. Canola Oil
3/4 c. Brown Sugar, packed (light or dark)
3 Eggs
1 1/2 Bananas, mashed (about 3)
2 1/4 Baking Mix (I used this but Bisquick will work just fine)
1/2 tsp. Ground Allspice
1/2 c. Chopped Pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat your oven to 350.
Spray a 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan with cooking spray with flour.
In a large bowl, whisk your oil and sugar until combined.
Add in the eggs and keep whisking til it all comes together.
Add in your mashed bananas, baking mix, and allspice and mix until blended.
Stir in the nuts until its evenly distributed.
Pour into your loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, laying a piece aluminum foil over the top after 30 minutes to prevent overbrowning.
You'll know its done when a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan so it can cool completely on a wire rack.
Eat and enjoy :)