Banana bread.

For a while, now, I've wanted to make banana bread. It's such a nice treat to have in the morning and goes wonderfully with coffee. The problem, though, is that I never seem to have enough ripe bananas for a loaf; we eat them regularly for breakfast, so I'm left with just one or two bananas and end up tossing them before I get a chance to bake the bread. One time, as our bunch of bananas was getting down to four overly-ripe fruits, I thought I would be clever and keep them in the freezer until I was ready to bake...and that's where they stayed. I never did bake that bread, but the bananas sat in the back of the freezer (looking quite sad and not so appetizing), until we threw them out. 

Last week, though, I was determined. I bought enough green bananas to make sure we'd have some to eat with yogurt in the morning and still have enough that would turn ripe and perfect for baking. And, this morning, the day finally came where I made my banana bread. Verdict: worth the wait. 

I had looked at enough different recipes over the last few weeks to come up with this one below. You don't have to use Greek yogurt, it's just what we had on hand, but it makes the bread nice and moist without weighing it down. And who doesn't love bananas and peanut butter (except my sister...sorry, D!)?  You can also add whatever nuts you have in your kitchen, or omit them completely if you prefer. I think walnuts are great, but pecans would work nicely, too. 

Banana bread with creamy peanut butter. 

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3-4)

3 Tbsp melted butter

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup baker's sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

Nutmeg, grated to taste (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) 

1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, butter, peanut butter, and yogurt. Add the egg and sugars and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg); make a well. Add the banana mixture into the well, and fold together until the flour is fully incorporated. Fold in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Let the pan cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pan, and continue to cool at least another 5-10 minutes. 

Enjoy with coffee and friends (or a handsome fiance!).