Banana Nut Bliss

Every now and then, say every other month or so, I get the hankering for some banana nut bread. Baking makes me feel so Martha Stewart. So Betty Crocker. So domestic. I do it so rarely, and I truly don't do it very well at all. However, for whatever reason, banana nut bread calls my name occasionally, and I just HAVE to make some. My most recent hankering came upon me this afternoon. Maybe it is the hormones, maybe it's the lack of sleep lately. But, I'm pretty sure it was the stack of brown bananas on my fruit platter that just screamed BAKE ME!

A few hours later and my house smells like freshly baked goodness. I even broke out of my shell a little bit and made banana nut muffins instead of the typical banana nut bread. Can't wait till breakfast! Anyway, I thought I would post the recipe I use in case any of you out there love banana nut bread like I do. The best part about this recipe is that when this craving occurs so randomly, I almost always have all of the ingredients in my pantry/refrigerator.

Banana Nut Bread

1 stick of butter, at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
3-4 bananas, preferably ripe
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda (sifted in flour)
1 cup nuts (optional) (I use chopped pecans)
1 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time. Then add the bananas, sifted flour and baking soda; mix well. Add nuts, raisins, and vanilla. Pour into a greased loaf pan (or greased/lined muffin pans) and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

***For the muffins, I took them out after 30 minutes. I usually bake the loaf for 40-50 minutes, or until the middle is done. Also, I ended up with approximately 20 muffins with just one batch. I know this recipe can be easily doubled to make multiple loaves or to freeze some.