Best Ever Banana Bread (Printable version)

Moist, tender banana bread bursting with rich banana flavor and warm spices

# What You'll Need:

01 - 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)

02 - 2 large eggs

03 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

04 - 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

05 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

06 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

07 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar

08 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

09 - 1 tsp baking soda

10 - 1/2 tsp salt

11 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

12 - 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

13 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

14 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper.

02 - In a large bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, yogurt or sour cream, and vanilla extract until smooth.

03 - In a separate bowl, whisk flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well blended.

04 - Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently fold together until just combined. Do not overmix.

05 - Fold in nuts or chocolate chips, if using.

06 - Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top evenly.

07 - Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

08 - Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

01 -

The texture is somewhere between cake and bread, exactly how a quick bread should be
It uses those sad bananas you'd otherwise throw away
The warm spices make your whole kitchen smell incredible

02 -

Overmixing develops gluten and makes tough bread, so stop as soon as the flour disappears
Every oven is different, so start checking at the 50 minute mark to avoid drying it out

03 -

Grease your pan thoroughly, getting into all the corners so the bread releases easily
Start checking for doneness 5 minutes early rather than late, you can always add time