Anyone else sad that summer is coming to an end? I cannot believe it is almost mid August. Before you know it pumpkin spice will fill all the coffee shops and grocery stores. We don't get enough summer as it is, so the longer I can push off anything fall the better.
I am currently working overnight shifts, and when I work at the wee hours of the morning I eat garbage. Like I am reaching for cinnamon buns, cookies, cake, chocolate. Sugar. Pure sugar. So the day before my first shift I decided to bake something to take with me. While pondering, I saw the over-ripe bananas sitting on my counter, and ding! What else other than banana bread?
You want to grab 3-4 over-ripe bananas, I am talking the blacker the better. They have more flavour and are much sweeter- gross for eating but perfect for baking with. The banana in the photo honestly is not black enough, I left it as an example, but unfortunately used the black bananas before I remembered to take a photo.
Mash your bananas, dump them into a mixture of creamed butter and sugar (and egg!), and alternate your dry ingredients with buttermilk until it all comes together.
Next put into two prepared loaf pans and bake! That simple!
Look at all that yummy chocolate! If you don't want to add chocolate chips you don't have to, but I highly recommend it if you are a chocolate lover like myself. Nuts are a good alternative as well.
BANANA BREAD
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 40-60 minutes
Makes: 2 loaves
Ingredients
¾ C butter
1 ½ C sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ c mashed ripe banana (3-4)
1C chocolate chips or nuts
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 C flour
½ C buttermilk
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350, and line two loaf tins with aluminum foil, greased and floured.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a standing mixer (or hand mixer). Add vanilla and your eggs one at a time, ensuring you scrape down the bowl in between each addition. Meanwhile remove the banana from the peels and mash them up in a large bowl. Add the bananas to your butter mixture and beat until combine. In a separate bowl mix your flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer running on low add your flour alternating with your buttermilk, ensuring that you start and end with your dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips by hand. Divide your batter between two prepared loaf tins, and bake for 40-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. I find mine take closer to the 60 minute mark.
Remove from oven and let sit in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and placing the loaf on a wrack. Let cool 30 minutes before eating.
Will store an air tight container for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for up to three months.
