Leftover Bananas

Hubby eats a banana as a snack everyday of the work week.  On the weekends, we buy five bananas, and throughout the week he'll eat the five bananas.  When I was growing up, this was never the case.  We would buy a bunch of bananas and eat some, but there were always bananas leftover.  When this would happen, my mom would take the over ripe bananas and make banana bread.  Hubby went out of town for work this week, and I was lucky enough to have some leftover bananas.

These are the type of bananas I'm talking about... I've actually used bananas that looked much worse than these.

I grew up making the Fannie Farmer cookbook banana bread with my mom.  At one point, I had actually memorized the recipe (though now I look it up just to double check).  What I really like about the recipe is the lack of fat.  There are eggs and sugar, but there is no oil or butter or shortening.  Instead, the mashed bananas help provide moisture to the recipe and result in a dense loaf of banana love.  Hubby is actually not a fan of this recipe since he prefers recipes that use half a stick to a whole stick of butter.  While I agree that butter-y versions have an added lightness and flavor, I feel just a little better about myself when I have my butter-free version.  It's moist and hearty with banana flavor and a good crumb.

Fannie Farmer Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas, well mashed (I've used 4 before for added banana flavor)

2 eggs, well beaten

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan.  Mix together the bananas and eggs in a large bowl.  Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.  Add the nuts and blend.  Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.  

 Yum!

The recipe is very easy to whip up (though the hour cooking time is something to take into consideration).  I usually make mine without nuts because I don't usually keep them on hand while the other ingredients are staples in my kitchen.  It's the perfect use for your unwanted (but still good) bananas.

Enjoy your snack!