Autumn Banana Bread

The utterly unique flavor of banana defies description. One could not call it sweet, nor tart. It’s the fruit devoid of juice with a texture that is only wonderful when eaten perfectly ripe. One of baby’s first foods, the banana’s mild taste still provides comfort as well as a necessary staple to most everyone’s diet. We whip them up in smoothies, grab one to go for breakfast or snack and slice them onto cereal. They are wonderful when solo, but elevated when they meet hot caramel in bananas foster or ice cream in a banana split. 

The fall always makes me think of banana bread. The addition of pecans, cinnamon and maple syrup give this recipe a wonderful seasonal flavor. Of course the key to good banana bread is to use really ripe—on-the-brink-of-their-demise bananas. Truly, the wonder of the banana is that there is no other fruit that can be reborn.

Autumn Banana Bread

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups sifted flour

1 cup chopped pecans

3 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, milk, maple syrup and beat until smooth. Add cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt and flour and continue to beat until creamy. Fold in pecans and bananas. Pour mixture into an 11 by 7 baking dish or a loaf pan.

Bake for 25 minutes for the baking dish and 35-40 minutes for the loaf pan.