triple coconut muffins.

In an effort to enliven my daily breakfast routine of oatmeal or granola with yogurt, I've started to dive into the world of muffins.  Muffins can fall into one of two camps - cake disguised as breakfast (I'm looking at you double chocolate strussel muffin) and those dense, devoid of flavor (but healthy!) hockey pucks that are labeled (in my opinion incorrectly) as muffins.  Neither of them really feel like a muffin to me.  A muffin shouldn't be dessert (even if I wish it were) and eating one shouldn't feel like punishment.  They should be flavorful and filled with all sorts of good for you things (namely fruit and whole grains).  They should be easy to prepare, freeze easily (for those mornings when you need something quick), and above all they should be good.  Really good. 

This, is my perfect breakfast muffin (it doesn't hurt that it tastes like a tropical vacation).   Chock-full of all my favorite flavors (coconut, banana, and blueberry) and filled with wholesome grains it's the kind of thing that will (at least help) get you out of bed in the morning.  And on cold, snowy-mix, still dark out mornings, we need all the help we can get.   


Triple Coconut Muffins
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I realized while writing this you could make them quadruple coconut muffins if you use coconut sugar!  Haven't tried this yet but I imagine it would be delightful.  Also - If you are looking for a little extra protein, a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseed would be a great addition.   

Yield: 10 standard muffins

1/2 cup (110 grams) virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup (95 grams) spelt flour (or all-purpose)
1/2 cup (60 grams) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (230 grams) full fat coconut milk, at room temperature 
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar 
1 large egg, at room temperature is best
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 large (VERY ripe banana) smashed (or pureed in the blender)
3/4 cup (90 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut, divided
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375°F. Either grease 10 muffin cups with butter or coconut oil, or line them with papers.

In a small saucepan, warm your coconut oil just until it melts. It should still be on the cool side.

In a medium bowl, whisk together your flours, baking powder and salt. Stir 1/2 cup shredded coconut. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla, and banana. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined.  Stir in blueberries. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups then sprinkle the top with remaining 1/4 cup coconut, about 1 to 2 teaspoons on each.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out batter-free, about 20 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and let cool.

Do ahead: Usually, muffins are best on day one but I just had one of these on day three and found them almost as moist and tender as day one. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

banana chocolate chip upside-down cake.

Look, when a recipe involves bananas nestled in brown sugar and paired with chocolate chips its going to be all of 5 seconds before my brain says "How soon can I make this?".  

I stumbled upon this gem while perusing David Lebovitz's blog.  I have the tendency to get lost in the rabbit hole that is the recipe archives on my favorite blogs and I'll emerge an hour later with a list about 20 recipes long of things I've convinced myself I need to have in my stomach RIGHT NOW. This landed at the top of the list mostly because I was dubious.  Can you have an utterly delicious cake that involves only 2 tablespoons of butter?  Is that even possible?  

The moral of the story is yes you can and that you should always trust David Lebovitz.  He knows his desserts and he knows how to make a really good dessert.  This is an impossibly addicting banana cake; moist, flavorful, and dense in that satisfying way banana cakes tend to be.   Studded with chocolate and layered with hints of caramel it's best suited for an afternoon snack or when just really need a pick-me-up because its been one of those days.    

Banana Chocolate Chip Upside-Down Cake
Recipe adapted slightly from David Lebovitz

Notes - I swapped 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour for oat flour because while banana and chocolate is good, banana, oats, and chocolate is even better (to me at least).  You can also replace another 1/2 cup of flour with spelt flour if you feel so inclined (I've been on a bit of a grains kick as of late) but using only all-purpose isn't a bad thing.   

I also doubled the chocolate.  Not sorry.   If you wanted to swap half the chocolate for toasted nuts (walnuts! pecans!) I would think that's a most excellent idea.  

One 8-inch (20 cm) cake

For the Topping

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (60 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
3-4 ripe medium bananas
a few drops of lemon juice

For the Cake

1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour (see notes above)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (30 g) melted butter, salted or unsalted
2 large eggs
1 cup (250 g) banana puree (about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, regular or low-fat or buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (160 g) chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

To make the topping, place the brown sugar and water in an 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan. Warm the pan directly on the stovetop over low heat, stirring until the sugar is thoroughly moistened.

Simmer the mixture for about 45 seconds. Let cool to room temperature.

Peel and slice the bananas in 1/4-inch (1 cm) slices. Arrange them in slightly overlapping rows over the melted brown sugar. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Mix in the granulated sugar.

In a small bowl, mix together the butter, egg, egg white, banana puree, sour cream, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until almost combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces.

Scrape the batter into the pan over the bananas, then use a spatula to carefully spread the batter over the sliced fruit.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake feels just set in the center when you touch it.

Cool the cake for about 20 minutes, then run a knife along the edges of the cake to help it release from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving platter.

Serving: The cake is best served warm with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or by itself as a snack. If made an hour or so in advance, it can be inverted on the serving platter, and left with the cake pan over it, to keep it warm. Otherwise is can be rewarmed in a low over, covered with foil. Or enjoyed at room temperature.

Storage: The cake can be made up to two days in advance, although it is best the day it’s made. To freeze it, wrap it securely in plastic wrap; it can be frozen for one to two months.

butterscotch banana tarte tatin.

March is one of those funny months where I get particularly confused when it comes to eating.  Winter citrus is kind of done and the farmers markets are practically empty except for potatoes and some sad looking carrots. At this point one just feels sick of everything (most notably their winter boots and parkas).  

But usually in March I begin to develop a fondness for bananas. Slathered in peanut butter they make for a most excellent breakfast and nestled in pockets of butterscotch they become a most epic dessert. The kind of dessert that transports you to a place that isn't New York on the first day of spring when it's supposed to snow 3-6 inches (I think we all need to be transported to our happy place right about now.)

Tarte tatin is one fancy looking dessert.  People squeal for it.  But in all honesty it's one of the simplest things you can make.  It's essentially ripe fruit, sugar, and puff-pastry.  It's a one pan dish!  Let's think about that for a second.  This butterscotch banana one is EVERYTHING I want to be eating right now seeing as bananas and caramel just go together.  I recommend serving generous wedges to the ones you love and topping each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a  sprinkle of cooca nibs (for crunch).  It serves as a nice distraction from everything else.   

Butterscotch Banana Tarte Tatin

Recipe from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

All-purpose flour, for work surface
1 sheet frozen puff-pastry dough, thawed in the refrigerator for 1 day (I beg of you to get the all-butter one by Dufour)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
5 large ripe (but not speckled) bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tbsp bourbon or Scotch (optional)
Vanilla ice cream and cocoa nibs (optional), for serving

For this recipe, you’ll need a 9 or 10-inch heavy-duty skillet (cast-iron works great). Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll out your puff pastry on a floured surface to a 9- [or 10] inch circle, and trim if necessary. Place the pastry between two pieces of wax paper and transfer to the fridge until needed. 

Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the sugar and salt. Cook, stirring frequently to make sure the sugar doesn't burn, until the mixture turns medium amber, about 3 minutes. Arrange the bananas in the skillet, overlapping them slightly. Cook, without stirring, for 3 minutes. Drizzle the vanilla and the alcohol of your choice (if using) over the bananas, and cook until most of the liquor has evaporated and the liquid has thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the bananas from heat. Place the pastry round on top of the bananas, and transfer it to the oven.

Bake until the pastry is golden brown and puffed, about 25 minutes. Remove the tarte from the oven, and carefully invert the tart onto a serving plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream.  

choco-oat-nut roasted banana bread.

I realize that I have already blogged about banana bread twice before (here and here) and perhaps it's redundant to discuss it again because really, how many banana bread recipes does one need?  

But if I can, I would like to make a case for one more because this one really is excellent.  (I may go as far as to declare it my new favorite but shhh, don't tell the others.)  

This banana bread is the definition of banana bread as it is stuffed with 5 (yes FIVE) bananas and those bananas don't need to be well past the peek of ripeness.  They simply need to be yellow as they get roasted in oven where they turn to sweet, jammy, banana mush.  They get blended with brown sugar and maple syrup and a bit of olive oil and then folded with oats, flour, spices, and CHOCOLATE AND NUTS (!!) to produce one hell of a bread.   It's flavorful and hefty and it works at breakfast just as well as it does at snack time.   I have plans to make it again this week and there is no shame in that.    

Choco-Oat-Nut Roasted Banana Bread
Recipe from Seven Spoons 

I loved everything (and I mean everything) about this recipe except for the pan size.  Who owns a 14 x 4.5 inch pan?  When you live in a tiny apartment you don't have the luxury of such things.  But fret not, there are plenty of options.  I baked mine in a traditional 9 x 5 loaf pan and put the excess in one of the mini loaf pans Tyler found me (which is about 4 3/4 x 2 3/4).  I realize not everyone may own a mini loaf pan (so maybe I shouldn't be complainning about her pan size...) so you could also bake it in 2 9 x 5's and have them be flatter loaves OR bake the excess in a muffin tin.  If you use a muffin tin start checking for doneness at the 20 minute mark. Don't you love options?  

Makes 1 (or 2) loaf (loaves).  See note above.

For The Bread

Butter for greasing the pan

4 bananas, ripe but firm

1/2 cup (65 g) walnut pieces

1/2 cup (105 g) dark brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup (125 ml) pure maple syrup

1/3 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (105 g) whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup (50 g) rolled oats

3 to 4 tablespoons mixed seeds (optional but I like pepitas if you choose to add it)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon medium-grained kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream or thick, plain yogurt (not nonfat)

4 ounces (115 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

For the Topping

1 tablespoon rolled oats

2 tablespoons mixed seeds

1 tablespoon flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 banana, ripe but firm

Preheat an oven to 350°/175°C with a rack in the lower third. Grease a 14-by-4.5-inch loaf pan with butter. Line with parchment paper, with long sides overhanging. Butter the parchment. Alternatively, butter and flour a standard tube pan, knocking out excess.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place the 4 bananas, whole and unpeeled, on top. Bake until the skin is deeply roasted on both sides, but not split, 20 to 30 minutes. Flip once during baking, and add the walnut to the tray for the last 10 minutes of roasting. Remove the bananas to a bowl to collect their juices. Chop the walnuts and set aside.

Once the bananas have cooled a little, remove the peels and leave the fruit in the bowl. Mash to a pulp with the brown sugar. Beat in the maple syrup, olive oil, followed by the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in the vanilla. Sprinkle the flours, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger on top of the wet ingredients. Fold to almost combine, then spoon in the sour cream. Give a few more turns, then gently incorporate the chocolate and walnuts. Scape the batter into the prepared pan. 

In a small bowl, stir together the oats, seeds, flour, cinnamon, and olive oil until it clumps. Honestly, I do this with my fingers, and scrunch it together. Peel and slice the banana into thirds lengthwise. Scatter the streusel over the batter, then arrange the banana on top. Bake in the preheated oven until the bread is golden and puffed, and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean of batter (chocolate doesn't count), 60 to 70 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes, then use the parchment to lift the loaf onto the rack to cool completely. 

Makes 1 (or 2) loaf (loaves).

old fashioned banana cake.

The Banana Cake (and let's be honest, the banana cupcakes as well) at Billy's Bakery in NYC are my version of kryptonite. The ethereal combination of cream cheese frosting and moist banana cake makes me weak in the knees.  Their version is the best I had ever had (and I've tried a lot of banana cakes). 

That was until I discovered Ina Garten's recipe for Old Fashioned Banana Cake and I felt as if my world was turned upside down because it tastes exactly like the one at Billy's.  Exactly!  I never imagined I would find a recipe that tastes so close to the original (there is a god).  So closely in fact that I can say with 90% certainty if I did a blind tasting I couldn't tell the difference between mine and the original.  

Now I can eat banana cake all the time which is a dangerous, dangerous thing.  

Old Fashioned Banana Cake

Recipe via Ina Garten

For the Banana Cake

3 very ripe bananas, mashed 
¾ cup granulated sugar 
½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed 
½ cup vegetable oil 
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (large are fine, I've never had an issue)
½ cup sour cream 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
Grated zest of 1 orange 
2 cups all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
½ teaspoon kosher salt 
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) 
Walnut halves or pecan halves, for decorating (optional) 

For the Cream Cheese Frosting 

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
2½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (½ pound) 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 × 2-inch round cake pan. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the bananas, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on low speed until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix until smooth. 

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts, if using. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely. 

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting : Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don’t whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth. 

Spread the frosting thickly on the top of the cake and decorate with walnut/pecan halves, if using. 

coconut banana bread.

It's been nearly five days and this flu/fever/chest congestion thing I've got going on continues to rear it's ugly head.  The worst part about it is that I have no appetite.  Yes, I don't want to eat which if you know me you know that this is a big deal since I always want to eat (I mean I do write a food blog).  Looking at certain foods makes me physically nauseous which is how I've found myself living on a diet of toast, brothy soups, and simple breads like this (because my desire to cook hasn't gone anywhere).

This is the kind of bread both kids and adults can appreciate. It's flavorful (coconut oil and spices) and moist (coconut milk and smashed bananas) and reminiscent of tropical locations and summer days (only 165 days to summer!).  It's also healthy (OK healthy-ish) and the kind of snacky thing I crave everyday around 3:30 PM with a cup of hot tea.  I imagine if you make this it will disappear from your kitchen as fast as it disappeared from mine.  

Coconut Banana Bread

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I made a lot of changes because I'm that person.  Upped the healthy aspect by swapping in some whole wheat flour, added some smashed bananas because we had them on hand and bananas and coconut just always work together, and used coconut oil instead of butter because the more coconut flavor I can add the happier I am.  

Makes 1 loaf

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups coconut milk (or if you don’t happen to have that exact amount of coconut milk in the fridge like I did 1 cup of coconut milk and ¼ cup of skim works splendidly)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup sugar

2 bananas mashed

6 tablespoons (85 grams) coconut oil, melted (butter can also be used)

Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger. Add sugar and smashed bananas, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture. Gradually mix with dry ingredients, until just combined. Add melted coconut oil, and stir until smooth. Do not overmix.

Oil and flour an 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan 5 minutes, remove bread from pan, and finish cooling on a rack. 

 

chocolate-crusted banana blondies.

There is a magic trio of chocolate, caramel, and salt that makes my knees weak. It's fairly safe to say that almost every recipe I come across that is composed of this trifecta ends up being made within a week of me reading it (and truth be told even a week is pretty generous). The most notable of these recipes is the chocolate, caramel, sea salt brownies from the Baked Explorations Cookbook. The first time I had them was at a close friends Christmas party (I remember the first time fondly). Upon first bite I became utterly infatuated (and became even more so with each subsequent brownie I ate). I was so addicted to them that I may have shoved as many as I could into my purse  in an effort to "research" them when I got home (trust me when you try them you will do the same thing).  I got the recipe and decided to make them on my own only to discover this was a process - a (chocolate) labor of love.  So lets just say they are a once a year treat. Nothing has quite fulfilled my love for those brownies until I met these banana chocolate blondies.  The flavor is familiar (butterscotch! chocolate! banana!) but including all of those flavors (along with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt) in a single layered bar cookie is new which is probably why I find them so irresistible.  These would make for a decadent ice cream sundae (or banana blondie split!) but I personally love them with a tall glass of milk after a long day of work.  

Chocolate-Crusted Banana Blondies
Recipe via Melissa Clark at the NYTimes 

At first when I tried the batter (don't tell me no one else tries the batter because then I know you are all lying to me), I was worried these were going to be unbelievably sweet (that statement is shocking coming from me), but once you try everything together (and include the sprinkle of salt) it really all works perfectly.  I also love these cold, everything firms up in a really wonderful way.  

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (1 1/4 cups), more for greasing pan
200 grams chocolate wafer cookies (to make about 3 cups crumbs)
55 grams light brown sugar (about 1/4 cup)
3 grams fine sea salt (about 1/2 teaspoon), plus a pinch
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
455 grams dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons dark rum or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
130 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
80 grams toasted walnuts, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment, and grease with butter.

Melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan over low heat or in microwave. Put the chocolate wafer cookies in the bowl of a food processor and process to make fine crumbs. Add the light brown sugar, melted butter and a pinch of salt. Process until the mixture is the consistency of damp sand. Dump the mixture into the pan and press it into an even layer. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the surface is firm. Remove the pan and set aside.

Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 12 tablespoons butter, then let it cook until the foam subsides and butter turns a deep nut brown, about 5 minutes. Cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together bananas, eggs, dark brown sugar and rum. Whisk in brown butter. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and fine salt. Fold into batter along with the toasted walnuts. Pour the mixture over the prepared crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle top with flaky salt if using.

Transfer pan to oven and bake until the top is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges with a few crumbs attached (or clean) but not wet, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack; cut into 24 bars.

banana pineapple muffins.

Breakfast is one of those tricky meals that everyone seems to have differing opinions on.  My opinion is that I wish I could eat oversized sticky buns, cheese danishes, and coffee cake every day but I can't because I would end up the size of a jumbo muffin.   So, I stick with safe foods like granola and yogurt, oatmeal, and peanut butter with banana.  As much as I like to convince myself I love my boring, healthy breakfasts (most days I really do), I sometimes find myself starring longingly (probably creeping them out) at my coworkers (who have metabolisms far faster then mine) feasting on the kinds of thing I only wish I could eat.  (Life can be so unfair.)  I scoured the web this past weekend, thinking there had to be a healthy/indulgent muffin hybrid somewhere out there that I had yet to discover and what I discovered is that there really was no middle ground.  There were strussel-topped chocolate filled muffins (over-the top!) and there were bran, flax, seed muffins (for the granola lovers) but not much in between which is where my banana pineapple muffin creation comes in.  These are healthy - chock full of fruit and whole wheat but they also satisfy my innate desire to eat something that tastes indulgent before noon.  Sometimes you can have the best of both worlds which makes me incredibly happy. 

Banana Pineapple Muffins

I wont lie that as I was making these I was super apprehensive of these coming out any good, I mean I was completely winging it hoping something somewhat edible would emerge from the oven.  But luck was on my side on that day and these came out beautifully.  If you hate pineapple you could omit it or replace it with shredded coconut.  You can also replace the cocoa nibs with toasted walnuts but that would be a real shame in my book since I love any excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast.   

Makes 12 muffins (probably 14 if your don't overfill but I love to overfill)

2 large eggs
1 cup milk (coconut milk or regular)
1 cup diced pineapple
1 medium-sized banana, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or 165 grams)
1 cup all-purpose flour (or 150 grams)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
1/4 cup cocoa nibs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, banana, pineapple, and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together flours, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and and stir to mix.

Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add coconut oil/butter and cocoa nibs, and stir until just smooth. 

Butter and flour a 12 cup muffin tin, or coat it with a nonstick spray. Portion batter out in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, anywhere 22 – 30 minutes.  Let cool 5 min in pan and then invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling.  Can be stored in air tight container for 3 days.  

banana bread.

At Tyler’s cafeteria, they have Free Fruit Friday, which means that on Friday evening Tyler returns home with a plethora of browned bananas and bruised apples.  He usually eats them for breakfast with peanut butter and raisins while watching his Saturday morning “cartoons” (by cartoons I mean home design shows which he loves), but this weekend he requested banana bread and I happily obliged in making it.  Banana bread is one of the most well loved breakfast foods but for some reason you rarely see it at bakeries.  Often bakeries sell banana sweets in the form of cupcakes and frosted cakes (I have a love affair with the banana cake from Billy’s Bakery – heavenly), which is a shame because banana bread is lovely.   My favorite recipe comes from Flour Bakery in Boston - it’s super moist and involves a whole lot of nuts and a whole lot of chocolate (my own addition).  In comes together quickly and tastes just as good the day it’s made as it does the next day (if you manage to have it last that long...).

Flour’s Famous Banana Bread

Recipie adapted, barely, from Flour by Joanne Chang

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable or canola oil

3 ½ bananas, very ripe, mashed (about 1 ½ cups)

2 tablespoons crème fraiche, sour cream, or Greek yogurt (I used yogurt and it worked!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped

2/3 cups chocolate chips

Set oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a loaf pan with non stick spray.  In a bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside. 

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, or a handheld mixer, beat together the sugar and eggs on medium speed for about 5 minutes on the stand mixer, and about 8 minutes for a handheld mixer; or until light and fluffy. 

With the machine on low speed, slowly drizzle in the oil.  Do not pour the oil in all at once.  Add slowly so it has time to incorporate into the eggs and doesn’t deflate the air you have beaten into the batter.  Adding the oil should take about 1 minute.  Add the bananas, crème fraiche/sour cream/yogurt, and vanilla, then continue to mix on low speed just until combined.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture, nuts, and chocolate until thoroughly combined.  No flour streaks should be visible and the nuts/chocolate should be evenly distributed. 

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hour for a 9 x 5 inch loaf; or until golden brown on top and the cake springs back when you press it.  If your finger sinks when you poke the bread, it needs to bake a little longer.  Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes and then pop it out of the pan to finish cooling.  It can last at room temperature for 3 days, but trust me it wont.