The World’s Best Banana Bread

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loaf of banana bread

This is a big favorite at our house and a great way to use up overripe bananas. It’s perfect with a glass of chocolate milk!

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup applesauce or apple butter
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 cup mashed bananas (2 or 3 medium bananas)
1 3/4 cups flour (I sneak wheat flour in and nobody notices)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

optional:
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chocolate chips (yum!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Smash the bananas until they’re broken up but not completely smooth. Some lumps are OK.
smashed bananas for banana bread

Add in the apple butter, eggs, milk, and brown sugar.
banana bread ingredients with mixer

Blend with a hand mixer until everything is incorporated. Again, small lumps are OK.
banana bread dough

In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients (or gently shake them through a strainer, which works the same).
sift flour through strainer

The cookbooks all say you don’t have to sift your flour any more, but you know why I do?
lumps of flour in sifter
Because these lumps are *not* OK.

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix gently with a spoon. When all the flour is mixed in, add any optional ingredients.

Spray your loaf pan with cooking spray, and pour in the batter. Bake at 350 until golden and a toothpick/piece of dry spaghetti comes out clean, about 60 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool to room temperature. OK, who am I kidding? As soon as it comes out of the pan, everybody in the house is going to grab a piece because it smells sooooo good.

Quick! Cut yourself off a piece and save it for breakfast tomorrow. Hide in the pantry and eat it if you have to.
loaf of banana bread

Hi, Im Pam!

I created Brown Thumb Mama to share my natural living journey, and help you live a greener life. Thanks for being here!