Banana bread

I have made this Banana bread since I was a teenager. I'm unsure where my mom got this recipe, but I found it it her mess of a recipe folder written out by hand in her handwriting. I have a photocopy of that hand written recipe. My husband was laughing at me trying to squint to read the handwriting through the smears (I'm a messy cook and spill all over my recipes when I am cooking)

Break up your bananas,

the riper the bananas the better the bread tastes.

Smash them up. I used a potato masher.

Here we go, nice smooshed up nanners.

Put your butter into the mixer.

I doubled the batch for 2 loaves of banana bread. The recipe is for 1 loaf.

Cream the butter and sugar, this takes about 3 minutes.

Butter and sugar creamy goodness.

Now add your eggs. I like to break my eggs into a bowl,

that way you can easily fish out any shells that get in there.

When a recipe says mix creamed mixture with eggs until

 "pale and lemony in color" this is what they mean.

I don't know what is up my my mother's recipes, this one didn't originally call for vanilla either, but I toss it in anyway. I think it makes almost any sweet thing taste better.

In a separate bowl, add your dry ingredients.

Flour first.

Baking powder.

Salt.

I don't have a sifter. I know I should with all the baking I do, but I have never had an issue when I do it this way. Just take a whisk and mix it all really well.

We're going to alternate adding the flour mixture and the bananas. 

First, a cup or so of flour.

Next a half cup or so of bananas. It does not have to be exact,

we just want to add them in alternating batches.

Keep alternating until both the flour and banana's are all in the mixer.

Such pretty Banana Bread batter... wait... I forgot something...

Add batter to your greased loaf pan.

(I still am missing something)

Place in a 350 degree oven.

(It was at this point that I realized I forgot to add pecans. So I stirred some in. Normally do that after the flour and bananas have been incorporated)

I inserted a toothpick to be sure it came out clean.

We love to eat this hot right out of the oven.

Everything is better with butter!

This is honestly the best banana bread I have ever had.

My husband actually proposed to me this weekend for making it! I gently reminded him it was too late, I am already married.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups flour

2 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 to 3 mashed bananas ( I always use 3)

1/2 cup pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter until glossy, add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until pale lemon in color add vanilla. Sift dry ingredients; add alternately with bananas, blending thoroughly after each addition. Fold in nuts. Grease loaf pan. (8.5 x 4.5) Turn batter into pan. Bake 70 minutes until tested done (toothpick inserted comes out clean). Let bread partially cool before turning onto cooling rack.