Banana Bread

The key to making the perfect banana bread is using super sweet browned bananas.  I usually end up making banana bread after a grocery shopping trip of healthy intentions leaves me with a bunch of browned bananas on my counter a week later.  I've made banana bread ONCE with yellow bananas and they were just so blah and I wouldn't recommend it.  If you're really in a time-crunch though, you can always place your bananas on the counter next to a tomato or two and they'll surely be on their way to brown spots within a day.  Anyway, the following recipe is a vegan adaptation to a recipe I found for Monkey Bread in a children's cook book years ago when I was a teacher.  On a side note, you can add frosting and eat this as BANANA CAKE!

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 very brown bananas (or at least spotted brown)
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla

1: Preheat oven to 350
2: Mix all ingredients together, making sure to mash the bananas into a creamy consistency
3: Grease a bread or muffin pan with cooking spray or Earth Balance
4: Add mixture and bake for 50-55 minutes, up to 60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean
5: IMPORTANT: Let cool for about an hour before eating!  Bread will be very moist and difficult to cut if you try to cut it while it's too hot!  The longer you allow it to cool, the top will form a soft sugary glaze. :)

This bread can be enjoyed plain, with butter alternative, frosting or with Monkey Butter, which is a combination of peanut butter and a mashed banana as a spread.

Makes: One glorious loaf

Direct Link: Banana Bread