I’ve been on a little baked-goods craze lately. It’s so fulfilling to put a whole bunch of ingredients in a bowl, mix it up, put a giant glob into a pan, slide it into the oven, and 45 minutes later, VOILA, a masterpiece! I’ve talked about how much I love having readily available baked goodies at home, but this classic banana bread wasn’t actually for me. Last week was National Dental Assistants Week so I decided to whip up a batch for my dear assistant as a small token of my appreciation. Although I haven’t really done it before, giving food as a gift was so great that I will definitely be doing it more often. I love how it’s a personal and useful gift that the recipient will likely enjoy. Food makes a great hostess gift, a “Hey, I’m grateful for our friendship” gift, or a “Hey, I’ve been bragging about how good a cook I am, here’s a sample for you to try.” That last one sounds totally like me ;)
Wrapped and bowed bread, ready to gift. My assistant loved it :)
Ingredients:
- 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- Handful coarsely chopped almonds
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last and mix together. Pour mixture into a greased 4×8 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
*Makes one loaf.
masala & missoni 