Many of you might not be aware of this…but aside from baking and blogging, I also happen to have a day time job. It's an awesome job. What's awesome about it? I have a wonderful boss who's ridiculously sweet and spoils me to the core! I mean, in all my years in the workforce here and there, Jehovah has truly blessed me with such a kind hearted individual as my employer…Annnndddd, What's more is that it's only 3 days a week!!!
I KNOW, right -- #spoiledtothecore
So, keeping that in mind, I walked into the kitchen to make my cup of coffee before heading to said job and this is what I find on the counter:
A not-so-subtle message from Em, my youngest daughter, warning us all to stay away. Pretty serious, I know. Naturally, I let them be for fear of the repercussion I might face if I didn't 😉. Off to work I went and when I got back home, there it was.
The uh-mazing aroma of Banana Bread!
Yesssssss! Mini-Me made us some
That's right…HONEY banana bread. I tell you, it makes for a nice subtle difference. You'll notice I've listed my Honey Bourbon Vanilla as one of the ingredients for this recipe. It's okay to use whatever vanilla extract you have on hand as long as it's pure and not imitation.
Right away, I made a bee line for the kitchen because, I know my family and if I didn't grab a slice now…I might never get one! All I'm gonna say is: Boys/Men are bottomless pits eat a lot!
Anyway, as I quietly ate my slice, I felt a profound sense of satisfaction for how close the apple fell to this tree! Two out of three of my kiddos have a deep love for baking and cooking as I do. Not bad in my book 😉.
Like Honey? Like Banana Bread? Well here you go!
Ingredients
- 2 cups Flour (all purpose)
- 1 cup Sugar, granulated
- 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Honey Bourbon Vanilla Extract ( or Vanilla Extract)
- 3-4 medium Bananas (ripe)
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 cup Butter, softened
- 1/2 cup Walnuts (or Pecans) (*Optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking/loaf pan (we used 4 mini loaf pan).
- If using nuts: With stove on low, heat a small frying pan and add nuts. Continually stir until they've reached a warm, golden toasted color. Remove from pan and transfer to a paper towel to cool. Set aside.
- Mash bananas and stir in honey. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside.
- Transfer nuts to a small bowl when cooled and add 3 tbsp of flour mixture to them. Stir to coat and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter and both sugars until nice and fluffy. Add in vanilla, egg and banana mixture and continue mixing until well combined.
- With mixer on slow, begin adding in the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stop mixer and add nut contents. Using a silicone spatula, stir in nuts until just incorporated.
- Pour into baking pan(s) and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until firm and golden brown or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven when done. Let cool for about 10 minutes before turning out of pan to finish cooling on a rack.
- Enjoy!!
Cori - xoxo