banana bread secrets.

behold my precious banana bread secrets. i've baked/eaten many, many a' loaf o nanner bread to figure this all out.

1st obvious (not so secret) secret: chocolate chips just make it better. and walnuts. in my opinion. if you dislike these things, leave em out.

secret #2: coconut sugar! i realized when i made these chocolate chip cookies a while back that coconut sugar is somehow far superior to white sugar or even brown sugar. its just a richer sweetness that i really appreciate. i notice you, coconut suga!

in this batch i used half coconut sugar half brown sugar, but i would have used all coconut sugar if i'd had enough :/

secret #3: half an avocado. yeah i said it. i'm not opposed to putting avocado in anything these days. its a "good fat" moistening agent.  it doesn't taste like 'cados amidst the nannery-ness, it just keeps the bread extra MOIST. ew.

ps. all the synonyms for the word "moist" are even worse than the word itself: soggy, clammy, damp, watery. i don't want to tell you that this banana bread is clammy and damp, no thank you.  so, "moist" it is. 

notice this recipe doesn't call for butter (in the batter); the half avocado worked wonders in that department. now, butter on top of the bread is your own prerogative. 

p.p.s. does anybody else think that the background music to the chorus of bobby brown's "my prerogative" (0:21) sounds exactly like chorus equivalent in the seinfeld theme song (starting at 0:32 in this vid)? this is super random, but i have always thought this, and i think only one person has ever agreed with me. wah.

secret #4: at least 4 ripe bananas! i've seen so many banana bread recipes call for 2 or 3 bananas. psh. that tastes like hint-o-nanner to me. i want full-fledged banana flavor and texture up in here!

in conclusion, all these aforementioned adjustments to your standard banana bread recipe will yield the most flavorful, moist, rich yet subtle in sweetness, amazingly delicious banana bread! we slathered in in kerrygold butter, which.......is soo good and you must try it if you haven't. actually, my friend joe (also mentioned in my last post about ice cubes...hi joe, you're funny) left it at our house when he and his wife brought over "an artisan loaf of bread and some fancyass butter." <<in joe's words.

when i went to go make this banana bread and needed to look up a recipe online, i was perturbed that i didn't have a personal go-to recipe of my own! so now this recipe is the one! its kinda weird and unconventional, but the outcome was/is seriously the best!

shout out to my bff kt who got me this adorable red mini loaf pan for my birthday. she really showered me in kitchen gadgets this year and i love her for it. even more than i love this banana bread. and that is a whole lot ;)

Extra Moist and Delicious Banana Bread

Makes 1 regular loaf, or 2 smaller loaves

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (mostly baking time)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (or just use 2/3 cup of one or the other type of sugar)
• 1 egg
• 2 TB melted coconut oil
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips, or more (optional)

Instructions- 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugars and egg until smooth. Add the melted coconut oil, vanilla, mashed bananas, and half avocado. Mix until smooth. 

Slowly add the flour and mix until combined. Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Chop the walnuts and add to the mixture, along with the chocolate chips. Stir just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into a well greased loaf pan (or 2 small ones) until its 3/4 filled. Place the loaf pan(s) onto a cookie sheet (so that the bottoms of your loaves don't burn easily) and place onto the center rack in the preheated oven.

Bake a smaller loaf for 40 minutes, testing the center with a toothpick to see if the bread has cooked all the way through. Bake for 5 minutes longer if the toothpick comes out sticky with batter.

Bake a regular sized loaf for 60 minutes, testing the center with a toothpick to see if the bread has cooked all the way through.

Let the breads cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.  I did not wait that long when I made these particular loaves so they may appear slightly doughy. Oh well :) Use a pat of delicious butter, served on the warm bread.  Cover in foil and eat the loaves within a week. It stayed super * moist * the whole week long! Nothing is worse than a crusty dry banana bread brick. Thank you, avocado!

qp

peanut butter & banana muffins

i usually make banana bread for one of two reasons.

the result of buying one too many bananas every single time you go grocery shopping.

[not pictured: the three other brown nanners we used in the first trial recipe.]

when life hands you an excess of blackened bananners, make banana bread-like things.

the other reason i make banana bread: because it is scrumptious, of course!

for the trial recipe of this, pete and i made a regular loaf of banana bread with three bananas.  we filled the loaf pan up half way with the banana batter...... and....there's just no better way to describe this......then he put a turd-shaped log of peanut butter in the center, and we topped the rest of the batter over that.  that weirdo lump of peanut butter in the center just looked extremely unappetizing (as you could imagine) and it wasn't evenly distributed throughout the bread.  just say no to that!

so i tried it again later using extra banana and made it into muffins, with a cute little dollop of peanut butter in the center.

much better.

banana bread isn't complete without a little taste of chocolate.  but you don't need these or the walnuts.  i just like them.

 fill the muffin liners about half full with the batter.  scoop a spoonful of any type of peanut butter on top.  we had crunchy on hand, but i would have used creamy fasho.

add a little more batter to cover the peanut butter, but don't overfill your little cups!

bake for about a half an hour.

sunshiney happy banana muffins ready for the eating.  with a surprise burst of peanut butter. how delightful.

i had just enough batter left to make a bonus tray of twelve mini muffins!  always a good idea.  and people are way more likely to eat the mini versions because they are bite-sized.  if you wanna get rid of all those blackened bananas lurking in your freezer, make a big ol' batch of mini banana muffins and they'll be gone in the blink of an eye.

yummy yummy yummy i've got love in my tummy.

i stored these in an airtight container and they all stayed moist for, no joke, almost TWO weeks!! 

hey, cutie.

Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins

Makes 12 standard muffins + 12 mini muffins!

Store in an air-tight container

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• pinch of cinnamon

Instructions-

Mash the bananas in a small bowl and set aside.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Melt butter in small bowl and let cool.  In bowl or mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Beat in egg.  Stir in mashed banana until combined.  Add vanilla.

Slowly add all dry ingredients and continue to mix until fully incorporated.  Add chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.  Stir in gently.

Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.  Fill halfway with banana batter.  Put one small spoonful of slightly melted peanut butter on top.  Add another small scoop of banana batter over the top of the peanut butter, but do not overfill the cups.  

Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes.  The tops of the muffins will bounce back when touched, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin will come out clean.

Drizzle with honey just for funzies! Listen to Elvis.

qp