Ballin' Banana Bread

Happy Tuesday, People.  I hope all of your long weekends were as fantastic as mine was.  Mine was especially fantastic because after a long anticipated 15 month engagement and a decade of dating, my brother got marriedddddd!  They wed, we ate, we danced and my feet are still not recovered.  I remember the good ol' days where I could party 7 days in a row (on a Cancun grad trip for example), and not need any recovery time.  Now here I am 3 days after a wedding and my voice and feet are still busted up and the thought of any alcoholic bevy is repulsive.  Nevertheless, the one thing that has not weakened is my appetite.  It's 10am and my sweet tooth is already raging.  Since I think it might be a tad early for a dipped cone from dairy queen, perhaps a nice banana bread might be a good one to toss into the mix for today.  Moisture is key for a good banana bread, overly ripened bananas are a must, and if you want to get really crazy - chocolate chips are never a bad idea.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
3 ripe banans
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 handfuls chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.   In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add your dry ingredients, mixing just until the flour disappears.If you are using chocolate chips, add them right at the end and mix evenly.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan and make sure it is cool before you slice it. 

Serve & Enjoy!

xo Chef Natty