Easy Homemade Banana Bread

It has been a whirlwind of a summer.  As soon as school let out, it was ball games and camping.  We started looking for a new house, and someone made an offer on our house.  We traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia for vacation and stayed at Great Wolf Lodge.  As soon as we got back from vacation, we had Vacation Bible School, and then immediately following that, we packed up to move into our new house.  We moved in on August 7, and we closed on August 18.  School started August 17, and I feel like I can finally sit down and take a breath.

The day we moved in, the heat index was 117 degrees.  This morning, the low was 56 degrees.  Can I get a Hallelujah?

The fall temperatures and new kitchen gave me the urge to bake, so I have a banana bread recipe to share with you.  We are a nut-free household because of our son's food allergies, so mine will be nut-free.  However, I will add the option for nuts in the recipe because that makes it so, so good.  (I miss pecans.)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup golden brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 medium bananas, mashed
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×5 pan with nonstick spray.
2.  Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Stir in vanilla and banana.
3.  Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until combined. (Optional: Fold in nuts until combined.)
4.  Pour in pan, top with additional 2 tablespoons chopped nuts (optional) and bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

TIPS:
1. I use a potato masher to mash my overripe bananas.  Leave bananas chunky if you prefer.
2. When you pour the mixture into the bread pan, it's better if you don't smooth it out.  Leaving it as-is creates a pretty "rustic" texture that I like.

USES:
Our women's group at church has used this recipe to make mini-loaves to donate to Hospice.  They are given to grieving families when their loved ones pass away.  The Hospice workers appreciate being able to have something in-hand when they visit the families.

At last year's fall festival at church, our women's group sold these loaves as a fundraiser.  It's always an easy gift idea, whether you give mini-loaves, a few slices, or a whole loaf.  You can get the plastic loaf bags at Hobby Lobby, and around this time of year, that have some pretty gift bags in the fall section. 

So open the windows, let in the fall breeze, and get to baking!