Banana Bread (or Muffins!)

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I'm pretty sure everyone has bought a bunch of bananas one week, only to have them disappear in record time, so you adjust your shopping list the following week, but suddenly no one likes bananas anymore! So you're left with several slowly browning bananas, hoping someone will change their mind, or reluctantly stuffing yourself with potassium so they don't go to waste. Or, if you're particularly ambitious, you might decide to make banana bread!

I don't truly know where this recipe originated. It's been written on a slowly-yellowing index card in my mother's recipe binder since I can remember, and I've modified it very little over the years since I copied it into my own. Mostly I have adapted the format to my needs, since I prefer pecans while my husband likes chocolate chips, and we discovered that our toddler will gladly eat a muffin as long as we call it a cupcake!

I use the same recipe regardless of baking implement, and find that it doesn't suffer from adapting. The original made one HUGE, towering loaf and took quite a while to fully bake. While I prefer the shorter cooking time and ability to customize, feel free to try it as originally intended. Simply increase the baking time until the center is fully cooked (usually 1-1.5 hours).

Jumbo banana bread muffin with pecans and chocolate chips

Recipe

Makes 2 loaves OR 18 regular muffins OR 6 jumbo muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 2 eggs (at room temperature)

• 3 very ripe bananas

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2/3 cup pecans or chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions:

1. For bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease two 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans. For muffins: Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease muffin tins (you can also use paper liners, but I LOVE the buttery taste on the outside on the muffin bottoms.)

2. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg into a small/medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Beat vegetable oil and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. This IS possible with a hand whisk, but much easier with a stand or hand mixer. Lower speed and add one egg at a time, combining thoroughly between each addition.

4. Mash bananas and add slowly until fully combined.

5. Pour in flour mixture in batches (usually 3-4 additions) until dry ingredients are moistened but not overbeaten. Add milk and vanilla until combined.

6. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, add in nuts and/or chocolate chips. You can also divide the batter now if you want to make both!

7. Pour batter into prepared pans and place in oven. For bread: Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. You may need to swap positions of the loaves at the 30 minute mark if your oven is temperamental like mine. For muffins: Bake for 5 minutes at 425, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees without opening the oven. For JUMBO muffins, bake an additional 25-30 minutes, or until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. For REGULAR muffins, bake for an additional 15 minutes.

8. Let rest on a cooling rack for ~10 minutes before serving.