NuM NuM

I love it when you make something and you instantly know you have a "tried and true" recipe that will end your search for all others to come. This my friends, is that recipe! I knew it had potential when I saw the title "Prize Winning Banana Bread" - and that it was! I took my first bite and said, "mmm...it's good." Then after my brain actually registered what I was eating, I squealed with joy, "ooooh, that's really good!" I gave a piece to Lobster and he reaffirmed my thoughts. Since I made the bread for Lobster's grandpa, I of course had to try a piece for quality control purposes :)

This is an excellent recipe and produces a wonderfully moist bread. As an added bonus, the divine smell that exudes from the oven isn't too shabby either. I've been disappointed with other recipes in the past, but this is definitely a winner! I realize the Internet is already flooded with hundreds of banana bread recipes, but I felt this was worthy enough to share since I'm certain you'll go bananas over this banana bread - no pun intended :P


Prize Winning Banana Bread
Recipe from Group Recipes
Makes one loaf

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (I use 3 medium well-ripened bananas)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

How to make it:
• Mix together butter, oil, sugars and eggs.
• Add mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla, stirring together well.
• Mix in flour, baking soda and salt, stirring until it is well blended.
• Pour into 1 greased large loaf pan or 2 smaller loaf pans (I cut the recipe in half and cooked it in a smaller loaf pan)
• Sprinkle additional brown sugar generously over top of batter, using your hand to gently pat some of it into the batter, which is purely optional!
• Bake at 325 degrees: large loaf pan for about 1 hour, smaller loaves for about 40-45 minutes.
• Allow bread to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges, tap the pan on the counter several times to release the bread from the bottom of the pan, then invert pan over a wire rack and let the bread fall onto the rack to finish cooling completely.

Variations and Suggestions: Add any of the following – miniature chocolate chips, toffee bits, shredded coconut, chopped pecans or macadamia nuts.
• Try toasting your banana bread – spread hot toasted bread with butter and even add a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar and some slices of banana, or top with a combination of honey and peanut butter, or spread hot toasted bread with some Nutella…the possibilities are endless!
• Use slices of banana bread to make your French toast. Just dust the finished product with some powdered sugar, or a little powdered sugar glaze, or spread on some Nutella, and maple syrup is good on it, too…you’ve gotta try it!