Easy and moist with a hint of cinnamon and spice 😉

ABSOLUTE BEST BANANA BREAD

Ready in 90 minutes (but gone in 60 seconds 😉 )

Serves 8-10 people

Listen… as a southern gal I think I know a little somethin’ somethin’ about BANANA Bread… and banana pudding (although that will have to be another post) but when I tell you that this is THE ABSOLUTE BEST BANANA BREAD I have ever made… I’m not kidding. This bread is moist, has a hint of spice, can be dressed up with nuts or chocolate chips (dark chocolate morsels for the win!) but is so good with its devilish hint of spice that I promise you it could stand alone.

Like a lot of artists, I did work at Starbucks for many years and if you know, you know… their banana bread sold like hot cakes… which I suppose banana bread is like a cake… and can be served hot so… guess it sells as it is!

Here is a question for you:

How do you eat your banana bread?

Warm/Cold?

Breakfast/Dessert?!

Butter pat or Cream cheese on top??

My mom always had cream cheese on hand to top a nice warm slice, usually of pumpkin bread and with Fall right around the corner, I know I will have that on my to-do list soon enough!!

Ingredients

• 4 large ripe bananas
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup of granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ cup greek yogurt/sour cream
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• Dash of clove (to your heart’s desire)
• ¾ tsp salt
• 2 tsp pure vanilla 
• ⅓  cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
• Dark choc chips optional (but highly recommended)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugars, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork (or hand mixer) to desired consistency *I enjoy having an almost smooth consistency with some chunks of banana as I like being able to bite into that in the bread).
4. Add eggs, spices, vanilla and sour cream to the banana mixture and combine.
5. Fold dry mixture into wet mixture. Fold in any added ingredients (nuts, chocolate chips or otherwise).
6. Line a bread pan with parchment paper w/ enough left outside each side of the an to allow for easy removal
7. Bake 60-75 minutes or until top is a rich color and a tester comes out clean (be sure if it comes out dirty it is from the overall mix and not simply a chunk of banana)

ENJOY!!!!

Tips

What to do if your bananas are not ripe enough?

If it is the day before, depending on how far your bananas have to go until they are perfect… you can stick your bananas in a paper bag to expedite the ripening process

OR

You can place your bananas on a tray and pop in a warm oven for 5-7 minutes. The peel will blacken, but the banana will be perfect and ready to go when it’s done!

What else can you add?

This is not necessarily a healthy recipe but that shouldn’t stop you from finessing the nutrients with a handful of nuts, chia seeds or any other goodies you think you might like! I have seen banana bread sliced and topped with peanut butter or even cream cheese (definitely a go-to move for pumpkin bread!!)

Roast your nuts for added depth in flavor

325°F for 8-10