How to use up those very ripe bananas

I want to thank the Amish Cook for adding ‘Home Cooking is What I Like’ as the Editor’s Choice. Kevin Williams, the editor of the Amish Cook Blog tells of his aunt keeping a starter mix of the Amish Friendship Bread for over twenty years. Wow, that’s a record for the books.

I posted about this wonderful bread a couple of posts ago and since then have received great responses from many. If you have never had the opportunity to try the bread, please do so. The recipe I provided will make four starter bags and leave you with enough batter to make two large loafs.

Speaking of breads today…

Bananas are one of my favorite fruits. But, call me “picky,” I do not like overly ripe bananas. When the peeling starts turning black and brown I just can’t eat them.

So, what do I do with overly ripe bananas? I let them get WAY overly ripe, peel them and place them in freezer bags. I always have about four bags of frozen ripe bananas in my deep freeze at home. That way when I’m in the mood for banana bread or I need to make some type of banana dessert, I have plenty of ripe bananas ready to use.

(Hint: this really comes in handy around the holiday baking season.)

I’m including a banana nut bread recipe today. I’ve come up with this recipe through a lot of experimental bread recipes that I‘ve tried creating before. This one is a winner though. I suggest letting it cool completely then placing it in a plastic bag overnight and then serving it the next day. The trick to moist quick breads are letting the breads rest after cooking them and letting all the ingredients settle in.

Banana Nut Bread
By Lane
About 16 servings

6 tablespoons butter, soften
½ cup sugar
½ packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup heavy cream
1/3 to ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray. Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy – 2 minutes. Add sugars, beat well. Add egg, egg whites, vanilla and beat. Add bananas and beat for about 30 seconds.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl. Add the flour alternately with the cream to the banana mixture, ending with the flour mixture. Fold in nuts.

Bake about 1 hour and 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.