Monkey-Approved Banana Bread

Loaded with bananas = monkey approved.

I’d like to preface this recipe by first saying that no, monkeys haven’t official given this recipe their stamp of approval but after watching enough Animal Planet, it’s obvious that monkeys love bananas.

Anyways, discovering four bananas—chocolate brown in colour—in Chris’ fridge, I knew I had to do something with them. The obvious choice: make banana bread.

Banana bread is one of those recipes that I fondly remember my mom making when I was growing up. This was her saving grace recipe, her single dessert knock-out, the culinary trick up her workaholic sleeve.

Though the recipe changes from time to time, maybe because Mom’s one banana short or is in a devilish mood and wants to douse the bread with chocolate chips, this recipe is always pretty solid.

Give or take, the banana bread is indestructible. It always turns out pretty decent, which is probably why my mom is a fan. Never one for the exact measure and science of baking, my mom has never liked to follow things too precisely. Luckily, this banana bread is very forgiving.

That said, after playing with this recipe a few times this past week, I’ve cracked the code for the ultimate banana banana bread, that replaces a traditional ingredient with a fun swap… chocolate milk. It’s chocolate milk!

Again, thanks to my mother’s divine intervention when I mused swapped our standard skim for chocolate, she thought it was a pretty cool idea. Seeing as my mom’s a pretty cool lady, I thought I’d test it out. Again, the banana bread turned out just as good if not better!

Toast some walnuts or don’t. Add chocolate chips or pass. Swap skim milk for chocolate milk.

One banana short, no problem.

And you also don’t need to worry too much about how you mix and add wet and dry ingredients. Somehow this recipe always seems to work itself out. I would however, stick to mixing wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately and then adding them together. It is the most tried and true way of ensuring all the ingredients really get to know each other in the bowl.

Booming with banana richness and warm, toasty, roasted walnuts, this banana bread is going to become one of your new go to recipes. It’s just so darn comforting, especially fresh out of the oven with a nice fat pat of melted butter on top.

Feeling like baking something tasty that requires minimal effort? Give this Monkey-Approved Banana Bread a try!

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Monkey-Approved Banana Bread

*Makes 12 serving*

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ripe bananas

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup melted butter

• 3/4 cup milk ( I used chocolate milk!)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease one 9” x 5" loaf pan.

2. In a small pan, toast walnuts over medium heat for 5 minutes.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, mash bananas.

4. Combine all wet ingredients (eggs, butter, milk, vanilla) to the banana bowl.

5. In a separate bowl, sift all dry ingredients (sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt) together.

6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until well mixed. Once everything is incorporated, stir in walnuts.

7. Bake for 1 hour until the top is golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

8. Grab your knife and slather some butter on a fresh slice of banana bread!

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