Going Nuts for Bananas (Banana Bread)

When ever my husband wanted to eat Banana Bread we would go to the store and buy it. For some reason even if there were lots of ripe bananas laying around the house I never had the courage to make a banana bread on my own. Maybe the reason that my husband loves it so much made me skeptical on trying it out.

Until one day when I got into my hands a recipe that seemed easy enough to make, even for me. If you know me, you know that I changed it a bit and added my touch to it. It's a fantasy way of changing things around. I want to share the recipe with you so you can all make this bread at home. Hey, this can very nicely make a great homemade Christmas gift. Homemade gifts are always in style and the presentation can go miles. Give to those you love a Banana Bread freshly baked by you.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine (softened)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 to 4 bananas)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Note: I added to this recipe 1/2 tsp nutmeg (it made all the difference in the world, it tasted insanely delicious).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F
Grease bottoms of 2 loaf pans. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture just until moistened. Finally add the nuts. Pour into pan and bake for about an hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for about 10 minutes. Loosen sides of pan, remove and place top sided up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours before slicing (I added a sugar glaze after completely cool and before slicing).

Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days or refrigerate for up to 10 days. If it lasts that long, not in my house!

Holiday Note: Mini Banana Breads make great gifts. With this recipe you can easily make 10 miniature loaf pans (4 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 1 1/4 in.). About 1/2 cup each loaf. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

Cinnamon Scone

Who doesn't have a favorite coffee shop around the neighborhood that is there ultimately favorite? Well I do and this is the best time of the year to go and visit, because there is just something whimsical about the smell there. It must be the cinnamon with nutmeg and of course the great coffee smell.

My husband and I am addicted to scones, but not just any scone, the cinnamon scone we buy at Panera Bread here in Florida. I had to make them at home, after searching on every book and magazine I could get my hands on I came to the idea of searching online (which by the way I can't believe this wasn't my first choice, it would had cut my time in half). After reading a couple of recipes I came across one found in Group Recipes.

Cinnamon Chip Scones

Preheat oven to 350°F. Set aside a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 stick butter (cold)

1/3 cup cream (whipping cream)

2 eggs

1/3 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup cinnamon chips

sugar and cinnamon for topping

(large sugar crystals can also be used)

Directions:

1. Mix together the flour, sugars (brown and white), baking powder and salt.

2. Cut up butter into cubes.

3. Mix butter into flour mixture until blended. Should have pea size chunks of butter.

4. Beat the eggs and cream lightly together. Then add to the dry ingredients.

5. Add cinnamon chips and oatmeal to mixture.

6. Put dough into circle, roll out.

7. Cut into triangles, number depends on size of triangles (I made eight).

8. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture.

9. Put on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

10. Finally, cook for 15-20 minutes or until slightly brown.

Note: I couldn't find cinnamon chips anywhere (I didn't even know such thing existed) so I had to improvise, but I am waiting for some that I ordered online at King Arthur Flour. Can't wait to get the to try the recipe the way it is meant to be made.

I also personalized it a bit by adding a glaze. I saw some recipes with this idea and thought it couldn't damage it if I added some to my scones. By the way they are delicious with or without the glaze.

Follow me on Twitter and be the first to see my new scones made with the cinnamon chips.


Now for the picture you have been waiting for: