Everyone has their favorite banana bread recipe – usually passed down through your family, or given to you by a friend.  Mine came from the original Betty Crocker cookbook!  I received my first copy at my wedding shower in 1981.  I kept that book for at least 35 years before passing it on to a resale shop!  The 2 recipes I kept from that book were this banana bread recipe, and quiche lorraine – which I’ll share in a future post!

There’s something about a familiar smell and taste, that just takes you back in time.  That’s what this recipe does for me.  I was just learning to bake, and experimenting with recipes.  This one was easy, and had that taste of “home”!!  It has stayed with me all these years – and I hope to keep passing it on through the generations of my family.

I have lately begun to make jumbo sized muffins, rather than 2 loaves, with this recipe.  I love the individual size, and I’m able to freeze them in small sandwich baggies – then take out just what I need for breakfast, or a quick snack.  They stay nice and fresh for about a month in the freezer!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 c butter, room temp
2 eggs
1 1/2 c mashed ripe bananas
1/2 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c chopped walnuts

The key to banana bread, is VERY RIPE BANANAS!  Let them get black on the outside skin.  This will increase the moisture content in the finished product.

Combine sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, blend with a whisk attachment.  Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Blend well.

To make buttermilk, just add 1 tsp lemon juice to the 1/2 c milk – instant buttermilk!!

Combine the dry ingredients, and add to mixing bowl.

Add walnuts, and blend well.

I use jumbo size muffin pans, lined with paper liners.  Place 2 large ice cream scoops of batter into each cup.  Top with more chopped walnuts, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

This recipe will make 12 jumbo muffins.  Bake at 350 degrees, for about 20 min, until lightly browned, and toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean.