Alexander kept asking me to make banana bread, but everyone kept eating the bananas before they got brown. Finally I had to make a dessert for Alexander’s class so I got 3 big bunches and hid a bunch.

The best way to make banana bread is with fresh very brown bananas. The ones below were 5 days from when I bought them all yellow and a little green.

I know some people have made it with frozen bananas. I don’t recommend this. I have found that frozen bananas break down their fiber in the freezer and instead of a thick pulp, you end up with something more towards a puree. This ends up adding to much liquid to your recipe, over develops the gluten and you end up with a rubbery texture.

For my original banana bread recipe, I soaked the bananas overnight in Myers Dark Rum. It was also full of sugar, brown sugar and it had walnuts in it. Well I couldn’t really make that for Alexander’s Pre-K class, but if you would like that recipe leave me a comment.

I took out the rum and increased the vanilla extract. I was worried there wouldn’t be much flavor so I decided to use my very good Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste. I highly recommend it.

It is a bit expensive, but the flavor is so good and strong. If you don’t have it vanilla extract will suffice.

I took out a little of the sugar, all the nuts (the school doesn’t allow any baked goods with nuts) and all the rum. I was rather worried the recipe wouldn’t work missing all this, so I increased the bananas.

My first batch came out pretty good. I thought it was great actually and ate several. My husband though thought it needed cinnamon and even less sugar.

I had to make another batch anyhow as we had eaten too many and I didn’t have enough to bring to school. So the next batch I took out another 1/4 cup of brown sugar and added cinnamon. It was even better. Without the rum it really needed another flavor, in this case the cinnamon to compliment the bananas and make it more complex. Enjoy!

Avec Amour, Victoria & Alexander

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Banana Bread (No Nuts)

Yield – 4 Mini Loaves or 48 – 50 Mini Muffins

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, soft (4 oz)

1/2 Cup Sugar (4 oz)

1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar (3 oz)

2 Eggs, large

1 Tablespoon Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 3/4 Cups Bananas, mashed with a fork, about 3 – 4 bananas

(this should be a thick pulp, Not the consistency of baby food)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light,

add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy,

break up the brown sugar to make sure there are no lumps

and beat into butter until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the eggs one at a time

until fully incorporated,

add vanilla paste.

3. Stir together dry ingredients and mix them into butter mixture gently. Before the flour is incorporated

add the bananas

and finish mixing by hand with a spatula. (This is so you don’t overwork the gluten and end up with a tough texture.)

4. Portion batter equally into 4 non-stick cooking sprayed and parchment lined mini loaf pans 6″ x 3″ x 2 “,

or scoop into mini muffin pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Place loaf pans on a half sheet pan and rotate halfway through baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a cake skewer comes out of the center clean.

Bake mini muffins 10 – 12 minutes until it springs back from the touch or looks golden brown around edge.

This batter freezes well for up to 3 months. Just defrost in refrigerator overnight and bake the next day.  It also can stay in the refrigerator up to 3 days before being baked. The batter will turn darker in color from the bananas oxidizing, but that does not affect the taste. If you prefer to bake it all at once it also freezes well as a finished baked good. Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap covered with tin foil and it can freeze for 3 months. I think I might also try to make a bread pudding with it, so check back soon and I will start working on that recipe.

Here are my bananas browning after 2 days from the store,

 3 days from the store,

and  4 days from the store.