Christina’s Go-Banana(s) bread with Splenda!
I know there’s not one person out there who hasn’t experienced the tragedy of a banana that is half past dead (aka too ripe). Your first thought is “Shoot! I just wasted 50 cents/pound (or so) on this fruit!”
Well no need to fear my lovely foodies, there is a solution in sight– Make Banana Bread!!! (Yum)
I usually focus my energy on recipes that fall under the culinary rather than pastry arts (it’s the waiting around part that bores me). However, when bananas bite the dust right in front of you, you either submit them to the evil wasteland called a trashcan, or make something worth eating. That is why you should try my banana bread recipe that is fun, easy and positively delicious! So if someone complains about the bananas being too ripe, shout the words of a famous French aristocrat who knew what she wanted out of life-“Let them make banana bread!” Or something of that nature 😉
Prep Time: 7 minutes Bake time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
-2 cups all purpose flour
-4 smashed bananas
-2 tbs vanilla extract
-8 tbs melted unsalted butter
-3/4 tbs baking soda
-1 cup Splenda (equal measurement if you’d rather have sugar)
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 medium eggs
-1.5 tbs cinnamon
-To add an extra kick, feel free to stir in 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter!
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
^The culprit- couldn’t handle the heat. In all seriousness though, this is the stage the bananas should be in. If they’re not overly ripe, the texture won’t be moist and the bread won’t be sweet.
2. Peel the bananas and mash them in a bowl to the point of a puree
3. In large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix the batter until it is smooth and thick
Tip: If you have an electric mixer, use it. It saves a lot of time and ensures the right consistency
4. Use a piece of butter to grease a bread loaf pan (10″ x 5″ x 3″). It doesn’t have to be that exact size though.
5. Pour the batter into the baking pan and smooth out the surface
6. Bake the bread for an hour
Tip: Use a toothpick or a small knife to stick in the center of the bread once an hour is over. If the toothpick is as clean as it was when you poked it in the bread, you’re good to go! If there’s batter on the toothpick, wait another 15 minutes or so.
7. Slice the bread in 1.5 inch slices but serve only for whoever is eating at the time and wrap the rest in saran wrap to keep the freshness
