Banana Nut Bread

The girls and I have decided to make goody boxes to give out at Christmas time to Daddy's co-workers and other friends. My oldest daughter loves to bake... and loves to share what she bakes, so I decided this would be a good project for us for the holidays. We plan to wrap boxes with lift-off lids and line them with foil and then just fill 'em up with all kinds of holiday yumminess!

Today was a gray, rainy day and Daddy had to work, so I suggested it might be a good day to get started on the holiday baking. L was enthusiastic about that idea. Since banana bread freezes well I had her start with that. This is the result of her labors today. Seven batches of banana bread = 21 mini loaves.

I'm sure everyone has a recipe for banana bread, but this is the one we like:

Banana Bread

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs. Mash bananas with lemon juice. Mix well, then add to creamed mixture. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir until well-blended. Add nuts, if desired, and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. (Less for mini loaves.)

Oh! And here's a little tip... Any time we have bananas that are starting to get too ripe and I know we won't eat them before they go bad, I'll peel it, chop it into chunks and toss it in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. One banana per bag. These work great for banana bread... or fruit smoothies!