Blueberry Banana Nut Bread

I have to say, I was hesitant to mess with my banana nut bread recipe.  When I brought it up to my daughter, who has grown up eating this on a regular basis she flat out said “No mommy… don’t do it.”  Well I did it and she really liked this new blueberry banana nut bread recipe…

This is pretty much the same as my original Banana Nut Bread recipe aside from a few adjustments and of course the addition of yummy blueberries.

EDIBLES

• 1 C sugar
• 1/3 C unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 C mashed ripe bananas (~ 3 medium)
• 1 C blueberries – fresh or frozen
• ¼ C water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 2/3 C all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ C + 2 Tbs chopped walnuts

NON-EDIBLES

• Loaf or 8” x 8” pan
• Hand mixer

Here’s what to do:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350°.
• Spray bottom only of either an 8” or 9” loaf pan or an 8” x 8” square pan
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Then stir in eggs until everything is well blended.
• Add mashed bananas, water and vanilla to bowl and blend together using a hand mixer, removing any lumpy banana pieces.
• Add in the remaining dry ingredients, except for the nuts, stirring to completely incorporate.
• Lastly, fold in the blueberries and the ½ C of chopped walnuts.
• Pour mixture into pan and sprinkle remaining 2 Tbs of chopped walnuts over the top.

Baking time will vary, depending on your pan. For a loaf pan, baking time will be around 55-60 minutes. For a square pan, baking time will be around 45-50 minutes.  In any case, set your timer for either 50 minutes for a loaf pan or 40 minutes for a square pan and then start checking the doneness from there.  If it is not quite ready, continue to bake at additional 7 minutes intervals until a wooden pick inserted into the middle of your pan comes out without any gooey batter on it.

Hope you enjoy this yummy twist on a classic recipe – try it warm with some honey butter on it – YUM!