Banana Craisin Bread

I guess that it has officially been summer break!  I just realized how long it has been since I last posted!  I sincerely apologize!  Apparently I need to get caught up. :)  I've been on the lookout for some new breakfast ideas for my kids.  It seems that we fall into our cereal rut and don't frequently stray from that routine during the week.  For some reason their little internal clocks are okay with venturing out on the weekend, but not at all during the week.  When I am home for the summer, I haven't quite figured out how they differentiate between the two.  I guess everyone can sense a good weekend!

One of our local grocery stores recently had Ocean Spray Craisins on sale.  I picked up a variety of bags (they had several infused with different fruits like blueberry or pomegranate which I would highly recommend) and headed over to the Ocean Spray website to see if they posted any recipes for a breakfast style quick bread.  Their recipe search feature is actually pretty advanced-- so check it out if you haven't already played there.  I was able to search by category, and then for recipes that specifically included the ingredients I had purchased.  They then give you all of the nutritional facts for the recipe.  This particular bread was very highly rated on their site, was easy to make, and was very quickly consumed by my little ones-- even on a Wednesday morning! :)

I went ahead and used the pomegranate infused Craisins to make this one.  They gave a little extra sweetness to each bite.  I would add that this is a great banana bread for people looking for more of a subtle banana flavor.  You can see from the color of the bread in the picture above that the banana was not an overpowering ingredient.  I think that I might even play with increasing the amount of mashed banana next time I make it.  Overall, it is definitely one that will be made again in the very near future.

(As a side note, I was able to easily make this into a dairy free item for my kiddo with allergies by substituting soy milk and soy margarine.)


Banana Craisin Bread
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (I omitted)
1 6-ounce package Craisins

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 -inch loaf pan.   Mix sugar and butter together in a medium mixing bowl until completely blended. Add banana, milk and eggs, mixing well. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until moist. Stir in nuts and dried cranberries. Spread batter evenly in a loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool. 


Source: Ocean Spray

Pumpkin Bread

First and foremost, a sincere thank you to everyone who stopped by yesterday to make my SITS day so special!  It might take me a little while, but I plan to be by to explore each of your blogs!  The ones I have been to so far have been so much fun!  I'll give everyone another day or so to get entered in our Fall Cookie Giveaway... and will announce the winner at some point over the weekend.

The fall season brings so many great 'comfort food' recipes to mind, and this one certainly falls into that category.  When a good family friend forwarded this copy to me, she explained that it was coming to me in its original format, "complete with splatters".    I *LOVE* the charm of this recipe image that floated its way into my inbox.  Before I got married, my family threw me a bridal shower and asked for all of our friends and family to write down their favorite recipes on index cards to present to me at the shower.  One of my very wise friends (who was also fully aware of my OCD) wrote me a note and encouraged me to resist the urge to re-type all of these recipes into a standard format.  I laughed about it then. Now, as I flip through the cards and recognize the handwriting and care that went into each one, I cannot help but reminisce about many different experiences, situations, stories, and people.  To me, this is what baking and cooking is all about.  I look forward to one day passing along my box of recipe-filled index cards to my children, but not until I fill it with many of my own as well.  I want my children to look back at my handwriting and remember the many memories that we are currently in the process of creating.  Thanks, Eileen, for reminding me of that with your email! :)       

Pumpkin Bread
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1 2/3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup water

Mix all of the ingredients in order.  Prepare a loaf pan and pour batter in evenly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours (check your bread for doneness at 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Source: Eileen Patterson

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

I've joked before that we either cannot keep enough bananas in the house or we have a pile of black ones waiting to be baked! There's no middle ground with my son-- either all or none! I've been playing with different types of banana bread and muffins, but was looking for something new for a change. I've added chocolate chips to my banana bread before, but never thought to do a chocolate base bread, much less a double chocolate bread! I wasn't sure how much of the banana flavor would actually come through with the amount of chocolate in the recipe, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it really held its own. There is a definite banana flavor to the bread and it goes so well with the chocolate foundation. This might be my new 'go to' recipe for ripe bananas.

**Melanie, at Sister's Cafe, stated that she preferred to use a Dutch Process cocoa when making her bread. I followed her advice and it really did make a big difference. You can use either, but if you have the Dutch Process available, I'd second her recommendation.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom of 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Beat sugar, eggs, and oil in large bowl at medium speed until combined. Beat in banana and vanilla at low speed. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; beat into banana mixture at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Source: The Sister's Cafe

Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread

Ever since seeing the Cinnamon Coffee Cake on Christy's Kitchen Creations, I have been craving it with a nice hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Since my kiddos have been sick, I haven't had much time to spend in the kitchen doing a lot of baking. When I saw this quick bread, I knew I had found a great, fast alternative! I especially loved that the ingredients were all pantry staples, so it could be made without much prior planning. The recipe only took about 15 minutes to put together, so I was able to mix it up one night while waiting for our dinner to finish cooking. I baked it the night before and then waited to add the glaze until right before serving.

Before you bake the bread, you use a knife to swirl the cinnamon/sugar mixture into the batter. When I added the glaze the next day, it followed the knife lines into the bread to give a bit of extra sweetness throughout each slice. It presented well and was enjoyed by my entire family. The bread was moist and stayed that way as we ate on it through the week.

Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1.5 - 2 teaspoons milk

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt. Combine the buttermilk, egg and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and remaining sugar. Grease the bottom only of a loaf pan. Pour half of the batter into the pan; sprinkle with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Carefully spread the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon/sugar. Swirl a knife through the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners sugar and enough milk to achieve drizzling consistency. Drizzle over bread.

Source: The Taste of Home Baking Book

Traditional Banana Bread

As mentioned in the previous post, we can't seem to use our bananas fast enough before they get too ripe to eat on their own. Banana bread is one of those old stand-bys that bring me right back to my childhood. This is one recipe that always turns out perfectly moist and has just the right amount of banana flavor. It is a great breakfast option, but my little boy also loves to eat it as an afternoon snack. It comes together very quickly and smells wonderful while baking!

Banana Bread

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired (I left these out due to allergy issues.)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom only of a 9 x 5 loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter. Beat until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Add bananas, milk, and vanilla, blending well. In a small bowl, combine flour, nuts, baking soda and salt, mixing well. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into the greased pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before wrapping. Store in the refrigerator.

Source: Pillsbury: Best Muffins and Quick Breads

Banana-Blueberry Mini Loaves

My little one loves bananas, so they are restocked with each visit to the grocery store. No matter how many we buy, it never fails that there are a few left that don't get eaten before they get too ripe. I'm embarrased to say how often these simply get pitched, but whenever I can I try to make a loaf of banana bread with them. (The recipe for my traditional banana bread will be posted next!) I was searching for something a little different to do this time around, and came across this recipe for banana-blueberry mini loaves. I didn't have any mini loaf pans available so mine was made in a 9 x 5 loaf pan instead. The bread was incredibly moist and the blueberries gave it a really nice, unique punch. This is definitely a variety that I would try again!

(My friend Christy, from Christy's Kitchen Creations, suggested adding powdered sugar to the top of the bread and it was a great addition! I would highly recommend this before serving.)

Banana-Blueberry Mini Loaves

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 cup (2 medium) mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour the bottom only of three mini-loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil beating well. Add bananas, appleasauce, vanilla and eggs-- beating well again. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in blueberries. Pour into the greased and floured pans.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes, then remove from the pans. Cool completely before wrapping. Store in the refrigerator.

(For the 9 x 5 loaf pan, I followed all directions, only baked for 60-70 minutes instead.)

Source: Adapted from Pillsbury: Best Muffins and Quick Breads