What's Baking: Mom's Banana Nut Bread

After seeing a bunch of different banana bread recipes around the interwebs this part week, I figured it was about time I made a loaf or two myself. The following (slightly modified) recipe comes from a great cookbook of recipes from family and friends my Mom put together as a wedding gift.

Mom's Banana Nut Bread

(makes one large or one medium and one small loaf)

1/2 C unsalted butter

1/2 C raw sugar

2 farm eggs

1 t vanilla

1 3/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1 t baking soda

1 t aluminum-free baking powder

1/4 t fine sea salt

1/3 C walnuts, chopped

4 uber-ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 C Guittard chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease (use cooking spray or rub with butter) one large or one medium and one small loaf pan.

3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

4. Sift together the dry ingredients (I just put them all in a bowl together and mix with a fork; sifting is overrated!)

5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and mashed banana to the butter-sugar-egg-vanilla mixture.

6. Stir in the chopped walnuts. [I added the chocolate chips to the batter for the small loaf.]

7. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan(s).

8. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the bread center comes out clean.

9. Remove the bread from the oven and place pan on wire rack. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes.

10. After 10 minutes, remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool completely on the wire rack.