Best-Ever Banana Bread!

Seriously, hands down, the BEST banana bread recipe known to man. Known to man! I've been eating this banana bread since I was a little girl when my mom would (and still does!) make it. I remember coming home after school to the smell of this baking in the house.

Disgusting

The secret to this moist, delicious, your-taste-buds-are-going-to-love-you bread is six disgusting, mushy, over-ripe, frozen then thawed, bananas (see grotesque picture to the right).


Now, I am a person who prefers a banana when the colour of the peel still has a little green in it (or preferably a lot of green), so the thought of these bananas actually revolts me. Call us snobs, but both The Hubby and I will not eat bananas that have started to brown, even a little bit. But, that just means that we end up with a freezer-full of bananas, which just so happens to be ideal circumstances for making delicious banana bread. Regular yellow bananas with just a bit of brown that have never seen the inside of a freezer just don't seem to yield the same moist result.



Let's not kid ourselves, even though there is a fruit in the ingredient list, this recipe is really, really bad for you. But, speaking as a person who has little to no sweet tooth, it is worth every calorie. So, here it is...the best banana bread you will ever eat! This recipe makes two loaves (or one bundt pan), so you can eat one now and freeze one for later.

Best-Ever Banana Bread

Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups mashed ripe bananas (6 bananas)
4 eggs, well beaten
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, but so worth it...I add these at The Hubby's request)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but so worth it...I add these at The Hubby's request)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add bananas and eggs, and beat until well mixed.

I love this machine.

Mix dry ingredients and blend with banana mixture, but do not overmix. Pour into two lightly greased loaf pans or a bundt pan. Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour; test for doneness (toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean), and cool on rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Freezes beautifully.

Megan's Review: You're going to want to throw away any other banana bread recipe...this is a keeper!
The Hubby's Review: Agreed...best banana bread I've ever eaten. Definitely include the walnuts and chocolate chips.

Recipe Source: The Best of the Best (http://sslws022.alentus.com/bestofbridge/Recipe176.aspx)