Banana Bread

Banana bread is one of my all time favorite comfort foods. My parents have been making it for me since I was tiny, and every time I smell it baking, it reminds me of waiting expectantly for a hot slice fresh out of the oven. When I was pondering what to bring to a housewarming party this evening, I decided that banana bread would be the perfect thing to create a warm, homey feel in a new home. A friend's recent experimentation with her recipe lead me to tweak my old faithful recipe, and my banana bread baking may never be the same! This is my grandma's banana bread recipe, or the gold standard in my book.


1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped nuts
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 very ripe bananas, crushed


I swapped out 2/3 of a cup of flour for almond meal, which can be found at your local Trader Joe's, and probably other places as well. I also used 4 bananas, instead of 3.

I wanted to add chocolate chips, and realized I didn't have any on hand. Instead I took a block of Scharffen Berger 99% cacao chocolate, chopped it up with a big knife, and added it to the batter. I liked that the chocolate wouldn't overpower my bread by adding too much sweetness, and the roughhewn look of the chopped bits.



I added walnuts to this bread, but I have used pecans in the past and really enjoyed that.
The process is fairly simple. Cream the butter and sugar well, then add eggs and cream thoroughly. Next, add/smash bananas (I like to leave some chunks, but will sometimes use an immersion blender to smooth out the batter a little), and mix in dry ingredients.




Bake at 350F for approximately 1 hour.
The batter was gorgeous with the addition of the almond meal and the chocolate, and the smell of the bread as it was baking was intoxicating. The finished loaf was rapidly consumed, and enjoyed by many--which is a delightfully satisfying result for any baker.