Banana Bread

3 - 4 bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugars, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

NOTES
From Simply Recipes.
THE best basic banana bread.

Roasted Squash Soup with Maple-Glazed Bananas

2 medium butternut squashes
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1 - 2 c apple juice and/or water
3 - 4 Tbsp butter
2 bananas, cut into slices
1/4 c maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds and pulp. Cover the bottom of two baking dishes with water and lay squashes cut-side-down in pans. Bake for 45 min - 1 hr or until you can easily pierce through the skin of the squash with a fork. Let squash cool until you can handle it. Scrape out the flesh. You can either scrape it into a blender, if you want a smoother consistency, or right into the soup pot to mash with a potato masher if you want a chunkier consistency.

In soup pot, combine squash with brown sugar, cinnamon and salt to taste. Add enough apple juice or water (or a combination of the two) to give you the consistency you prefer. Add butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soup bubbles and is cooked through, and butter is melted.

While soup is cooking, in a separate pan, combine bananas and maple syrup and heat through, stirring to coat bananas.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a generous spoonful of bananas. Drizzle any extra maple syrup over the top of soup.

Serves about 6 as a side dish.

NOTES
Adapted from recipe of the same name at culinarycovers.com.

All amounts are approximate. I didn't actually measure anything -- just added a little of this and a little of that until the texture and taste were right.

The bananas really make this soup something special.

Kid ratings: 7-year-old gives it 7/10, 4-year-old gives it 100/39.

Hawaiian Bread

1 c softened butter
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 c mashed bananas (2-3 bananas)
1 (15 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice
4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 c shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; lightly grease 2 loaf pans.

Cream butter and sugar; add bananas, pineapple and eggs and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; combine with banana mixture and mix well. Fold in coconut.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 50 minutes or until a tester in the middle comes out clean.

NOTES
FRom allrecipes.com.
Good alternative to ordinary banana bread; sweeter and more unusual.

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

1 1/2 c sugar
10 Tbsp softened butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 mashed bananas
2 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c milk

Frosting:
1/2 c butter
1 c peanut butter
3 Tbsp milk, or as needed
2 c confectioners' sugar

Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl; mix well. Add banana, stirring well to combine. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with 1/2 cup milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

Spoon the batter into 24 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake for 20 minutes or until cupcakes spring back easily when touched lightly in the center. Allow to cool, and frost if desired.

To make frosting:

Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

NOTES
Cupcake recipe from Post Punk Kitchen -- theirs is vegan; I changed it because I am a snob who only bakes with real butter, but it will work fine with vegan butter and soymilk as well.
Frosting recipe from allrecipes.com
The combination of chocolate, bananas and peanut butter works so well together. The cupcakes are good unfrosted as well, but I would recommend the frosting.

Summer Fruit Pizza

1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1 1/4 c flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 c confectioners' sugar
1 c whipped cream
1 sliced banana
1 c sliced strawberries
1 (8 oz) can mandarin oranges
2 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/3 c blueberries

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and extracts.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat well. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Press dough into a greased 12" or 14" pizza pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until golden. Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth; spread over crust. Arrange fruit on top.

Glaze:

1/4 c sugar
1/4 c orange juice
2 tsp cornstarch

Combine glaze ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool about 30 minutes, to room temperature. Brush over fruit. Store in refrigerator.

NOTES
Original source unknown.
Not a quick dessert, but an impressive and delicious one.

Banana Spice Muffins

2 1/2 c flour
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger
1 c mashed banana
2/3 c milk
1/3 c buttermilk
1/3 c ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg white
1 egg

Combine all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just blended. Spoon into greased muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until done. Cool on a wire rack.

NOTES
From Cooking Light.
Can't remember if I've tried these or not, so I'll mark as untried.
If I did actually try them, it would seem they're not that memorable.

Roasted Banana Bread

2 ripe bananas, unpeeled
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, softened
2/3 c sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Place the bananas on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, or until the skins are black and they have started to seep. Remove from the oven , set aside, and let cool.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, stirring after each.

Squeeze the flesh of the bananas out of the skins and into a small mixing bowl. Add the coconut milk and vanilla and mash together. Add half of the banana mixture to the butter mixture and blend thoroughly. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add the remaining banana mixture, blend thoroughly, and add the remaining flour mixture; mix just enough to thoroughly blend the ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

Bake in the oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack, slice, and serve warm.

NOTES
Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

Roasting the bananas gives this bread such a great flavor, and the coconut milk adds a nice subtle touch as well. After using this recipe I always roast my bananas now! And I usually double the recipe too.

Freezes well -- nice and moist once thawed.

Probably would work well as muffins too, although I haven't tried it that way.