Best Ever Banana Bread

I have tried many banana bread recipes over the years and this is my hands down favorite! One of the very first things I ever remember baking was banana bread. One year for Christmas, my momma gave me my very first cookbook. It was an A-Z Gold Medal cookbook. I probably made everything in that book at least 3 times. One of the great things, is that you can actually order a newer edition of that very same cookbook if you look on the back of a bag of Gold Medal flour. My momma finally let my have this cookbook for Scarlet's collection that we have started! This recipe is a little more complicated than the first one I made, but it's worth every step. With two little monkey's of my own who LOVE bananas running around, this is a go to-easy-make ahead, breakfast item!
This recipe comes from a cookbook that to many would probably be referred to as the Bible of Southern cooking. It's Southern Living's, "1001 Ways to Cook Southern". This cookbook enabled me to finally throw away a lot of my back issues of Southern Living, since almost every recipe that has ever been printed, is actually in this cookbook! I love that it adds cream cheese (who doesn't love cream cheese!!), because it adds a moistness to the bread that other recipes just can't get from other recipes!























Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) cream cheese softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (1 1/4 lb. unpeeled bananas, about 4 medium)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

2. Combine flour, and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured ( or sprayed with Baker's Joy) 8x4 inch loaf pans.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour until a long wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil during last 15 minutes to prevent browning if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

VARIATIONS

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Muffins

To bake muffins, spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined muffin cups, Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.


Toasted Coconut Topped Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

Prepare and bake bread or muffins in desired pans. While bread is baking, stir together 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, and 1/4 cup milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to boil, stirring constantly. remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut; 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans; and 2 tsp. vanilla extract. remove baked bread or muffins from oven, and immediately spread tops with coconut mixture. Preheat broiler. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat 2 to 3 minutes or just until topping starts to lightly brown. Cool in pans on wire racks 20 minutes. Remove from pans, and coll 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Cinnamon Crisp Topped Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

Prepare bread batter as directed, and spoon into desired pans. Stir together 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar; 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans; 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour; 1 Tbsp. melted butter; and 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Bake and cool as directed.

The cinnamon ones are so delicious, I'm making mini pans of them to give out as favors for a baby shower I'm hosting at the end of the month ( more to come on that)! Come back tomorrow for a super easy Brunswick stew. And later in the week, I'll be doing a special dessert in honor of the new movie The Help. If you have read the book you probably already have an idea what dessert that might be!!!