Is the song stuck in your head now?
When I went grocery shopping this week, I noticed that the bananas were looking a bit shabby. They looked exactly as they are pictured here….very, very ripe. The price happened to be crossed out though and the bananas were marked down to half off. What a steal! Fifteen cents per pound- who could resist?
I loaded my cart up with tons of bananas and headed home with my nasty bananas in tote. I got out an old butter tub and filled it with eight of the bananas. I mashed those suckers up and put them in a freezer container and then started with the next batch. Eight bananas translates to four mini-loaves of banana bread so I packaged them that way so that it would be easy for me to dethaw and dump when it came time to make my bread. I ended up with enough to do twenty-four mini loaves of bread once everything was smashed and put away for another day.
My family loves banana bread and I love to keep it in my freezer to give away as gifts to friends & family. I make a mean banana bread and I love to have loaves on hand for those unexpected occasions- a sick family member, a thank-you to someone who has helped us out, a quick birthday gift… I think it is a gift for any occasion! Tied with a bow and a thoughtful card makes your last minute gift look planned!
Bananas can be frozen whole too and thrown into your freezer, eliminating my smashing step altogether. Just chop off the tip and squeeze it out. You don’t even have to touch the banana.
I prefer the smashing because it saves valuable space in my freezer and I can just chuck it into the bowl when it is time to mix it up.
Next time you are at the store and the bananas are looking too ripe, buy a bunch and keep them in your freezer. If the supermarket has not marked them down, just ask if they will give them to you for half price. Usually they just want to get these out of their store.
Here are my banana recipes for the little monkeys in your family!
Banana Pancakes
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ripe banana
Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder cinnamon, & salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, & bananas. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.
Banana Oatmeal Bread
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups mashed banana
- 3 T vegetable oil
- 2 T sugar
- 1 1/2 t salt
- 1 3/4 cups oats
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 1/2 t yeast
Layer in bread machine pan according to manufacturer’s recommendation. Bake on the sweet, basic or rapid cycle. Makes a large loaf (2 lbs).
Banana Crumb Muffins
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 t baking soda
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t salt
- 3 bananas, mashed
- 3/4 cups white sugar
- 1 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 t ground cinnamon
- 1 T butter
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease ten muffin cups or line with muffin papers. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut the butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins. Bake in preheated oven for eighteen to twenty minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean.
Heavenly Banana Bread
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 t. baking soda
- ¼ t. salt
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 t. vanilla
- ½ t. cinnamon
- 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (usually is about four bananas)
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake 60-65 minutes. Allow bread to cool ten minutes in pan and then turn onto wire rack.
Chocolate Banana Bread
- 1 cup margarine, softened
- 2 cups white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 6 bananas, mashed
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup lite sour cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, cream together margarine sugar and eggs. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.