I am always loathe to throw over ripe bananas because they make the best banana bread.
The recipe I used today makes 1 large loaf & 12 muffin size ones.
250g salted butter, at room temperature
200g brown sugar
4 large eggs
200g of pitted dates, cut & soaked in fruit tea to just cover
5 / 6 ripe bananas, mashed
480g flour
2 tbsp of baking powder
1-2 tsp spices of choice (cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg etc)
2 tsp vanilla extract
I used loaf liners / muffin papers so no need to grease the pans
Preheat the oven to 175c fan
Chop the 200g of dates, place in a shallow bowl & add a fruit tea bag & boiling water to just cover. I used peach & orange tea but any fruit or earl grey tea will do. Leave to steep & mash with a fork.
Cream the butter & sugar till light & fluffy.
Add the cooled dates & the liquid to the bowl & mix again till light.
Add the eggs & some of the flour & mix well.
Add the remaining flour, the vanilla extract, the baking powder & spices & mix lightly.
I first added a serving spoon of mixture to each of the 12 muffin cases, then spooned the rest of the mixture in to the loaf tin.
Bake for 30-35 minutes for the muffins - check with a sharp knife to see if done.
Keep baking the loaf for another 25-35 minutes until a sharp knife comes out cleanly.
I covered it half way with tin foil to stop it browning too much.
Cool on racks, pop on the kettle & enjoy.
If I am not going to eat all the loaf over a few days, I slice it & freeze it sliced.
When a treat is needed, a slice can be heated & then buttered so it is never wasted.
How do you like yours? Tell all.
Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated.
Dee 🧈🧑🍳 📝👩💻
