Snickerdoodle Banana Bread
Meet Humphrey.
He's the newest member of my small menagerie of stuffed animals who don't seem to fit in to an adult apartment. Oops.
But I made him, so that must count for something.
There's just something that makes an animal who started as a pair of knee-high striped socks a little more precious. Especially when you watch the progression he goes through.
I followed these directions. He took me about 1 afternoon (KEB's craft day!) and another evening since I hand-sewed him, but it is definitely a craft which allows the possibility of being social! You know how there's the stereotype of people knitting in lectures and chapel services? (Ok, maybe that's something I got from college, so maybe it's not really a thing, but you can get the idea.) I think I'm going to do the same with sock monkeys. Maybe. We'll see.
Now that you know Humphrey, let's talk bananas. Banana bread, specifically. Unfortunately Humphrey was still a pair of socks when this banana bread came into being, but I'm sure, being a monkey, he would have approved.
I am still a hold out for Alpha-bakery plain old banana bread. It is still my favorite. But, especially with Pinterest around, sometimes you just have to try one of the over-the-top-extravagant-with-all-sorts-of-extras versions. Every once in a while.
I happened to have four brown bananas sitting around. I explain this occurrence (which is fairly rare, since I often don't buy more than a couple bananas at a time) by the fact that I was collecting the Chiquita minion banana stickers. (This post is just making me sound less and less adult. Maybe I should stop while I'm ahead . . . )
It all started with this guy. On the morning of my second (and terrifying) comprehensive exam in August. Or right around then.
I managed to end with 29 of 36 though! I ate a lot of bananas. (And thanks to mom for a couple!)
And made banana bread. A couple times. Back to that story.
One of the good things about the extravagant versions is that they require less banana per loaf. And since I could make two loaves instead of a loaf and a third, I stuck with the extravagant recipe.
Said extravagant recipe also included cinnamon chips. I am guessing I have gushed about the amazingness of cinnamon chips before, but just in case, they are AMAZING. So good. If you don't believe me, go find some. If the store has them, they are with the chocolate and other chips.
I also love snickerdoodles (I'm sensing a theme, as I sit here drinking a brown sugar and cinnamon coffee). So I had to try it.
And it was just as good as it sounded. Even just smelling it while it baked was worth any effort expended.
Be aware that some of the cinnamon sugar on top will fall off when you take it out of the pan. But I just sprinkled it back over the slices after I cut it. It just made the whole thing better.
I brought one loaf to school for a first day of classes pick-me-up and sent the other with NES to work. Both disappeared.
I think I've found a new favorite over-the-top-extravagant-with-all-sorts-of-extras version of banana bread.
Snickerdoodle Banana Bread
from Oh, Sweet Basil
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium-large)
1 cup cinnamon chips
3 tbsp. cinnamon sugar for topping, divided
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together the baking soda, cream of tartar, flour and salt in a medium bowl.
Cream together the softened butter and sugar with a mixer. Add the eggs, and mix until the mixture is smooth.
Smash the bananas in a glass measuring cup.
Add a bit of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and start the mixture. Cream everything together. When the flour is incorporated, add a little banana. Continue, alternating flour mixture and banana, and ending with banana.
Stir in the cinnamon chips. Pour into the bread pan. Sprinkle with 2 tbps. of cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. If the top is browning too much, tent with aluminum foil for the last 15 or so minutes.
Sprinkle with the last tbsp. of cinnamon sugar after the bread is removed from the oven. Allow to cool. (If you cut it while it's warm, the slices may be crumbly).
Now that you know Humphrey, let's talk bananas. Banana bread, specifically. Unfortunately Humphrey was still a pair of socks when this banana bread came into being, but I'm sure, being a monkey, he would have approved.
I am still a hold out for Alpha-bakery plain old banana bread. It is still my favorite. But, especially with Pinterest around, sometimes you just have to try one of the over-the-top-extravagant-with-all-sorts-of-extras versions. Every once in a while.
I happened to have four brown bananas sitting around. I explain this occurrence (which is fairly rare, since I often don't buy more than a couple bananas at a time) by the fact that I was collecting the Chiquita minion banana stickers. (This post is just making me sound less and less adult. Maybe I should stop while I'm ahead . . . )
It all started with this guy. On the morning of my second (and terrifying) comprehensive exam in August. Or right around then.
One of the good things about the extravagant versions is that they require less banana per loaf. And since I could make two loaves instead of a loaf and a third, I stuck with the extravagant recipe.
Said extravagant recipe also included cinnamon chips. I am guessing I have gushed about the amazingness of cinnamon chips before, but just in case, they are AMAZING. So good. If you don't believe me, go find some. If the store has them, they are with the chocolate and other chips.
I also love snickerdoodles (I'm sensing a theme, as I sit here drinking a brown sugar and cinnamon coffee). So I had to try it.
And it was just as good as it sounded. Even just smelling it while it baked was worth any effort expended.
Be aware that some of the cinnamon sugar on top will fall off when you take it out of the pan. But I just sprinkled it back over the slices after I cut it. It just made the whole thing better.
I brought one loaf to school for a first day of classes pick-me-up and sent the other with NES to work. Both disappeared.
I think I've found a new favorite over-the-top-extravagant-with-all-sorts-of-extras version of banana bread.
Snickerdoodle Banana Bread
from Oh, Sweet Basil
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium-large)
1 cup cinnamon chips
3 tbsp. cinnamon sugar for topping, divided
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together the baking soda, cream of tartar, flour and salt in a medium bowl.
Cream together the softened butter and sugar with a mixer. Add the eggs, and mix until the mixture is smooth.
Smash the bananas in a glass measuring cup.
Add a bit of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and start the mixture. Cream everything together. When the flour is incorporated, add a little banana. Continue, alternating flour mixture and banana, and ending with banana.
Stir in the cinnamon chips. Pour into the bread pan. Sprinkle with 2 tbps. of cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. If the top is browning too much, tent with aluminum foil for the last 15 or so minutes.
Sprinkle with the last tbsp. of cinnamon sugar after the bread is removed from the oven. Allow to cool. (If you cut it while it's warm, the slices may be crumbly).
Sounds wonderful!
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