What's For Dinner? Banana Bread and Muffins

Well, not really for dinner but yum right?! 

Very rarely do banana's get thrown in the trash at my house.  Mostly because they are eaten as soon as they are no longer green.  But also because if I do happen to spy a brown banana I throw it into the freezer.  I always have a freezer bag with a few bananas in it.  When I have 4 or more I make banana bread.

I guess I haven't made banana bread in awhile because there were eight bananas in the bag.  I just ended up making one loaf and 18 muffins.  The recipe really makes 24 but I only have a 12 cup and a 6 cup pan.  I put the rest of the batter in the loaf.

Here's what you need (taken from this site)
1 1/4 cup(s) Sugar

1/2 cup(s) Butter, Softened
2 large Eggs
1 1/2 cup(s) Mashed Ripe Banana's, 3 to 4 Medium
1/2 cup(s) Buttermilk (quick sub for Buttermilk - put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup.  Then fill the measuring cup with milk to the 1 cup line.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Instant Buttermilk.)
1 teaspoon(s) Vanilla
2 1/2 cup(s) All-Purpose flour
1 teaspoon(s) Baking Soda
1 teaspoon(s) Salt
1 cup(s) Chopped Nuts, If Desired

This is the recipe from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook.  One of my favorite books along with Betty Crockers cookbook.  I know, boring right?  Well, all of the classics are captured in these books!

Directions
1.Heat oven to 350 Degrees
2.Grease bottom only of Loaf Pan
3.Mix Sugar and Butter in large bowl
4.Stir in Eggs until well blended.
5.Add Banana's, Buttermilk and Vanilla.
6.Add Banana's, Buttermilk and Vanilla. Beat until smooth.
7.Stir in Nuts if Desired, If not skip this step.
8.Pour into pan
9.Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10.Cool 5 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan: remove from pan.
11.Cool Completely before slicing

I doubled the recipe to make the muffins as well.  I filled 18 cups (24 works better) about half full. 

Don't mind the muffin cups, please!  I have tons of Winter and Halloween cups and that's all so I am trying to use them up.

Yes, there are only 16 muffins in this picture.  I ate one. I don't know what happened to the other one...

Since I ended up with more batter in my bread pan then the bread pan wanted to hold I was a bit of a wreck as this baked.

First I thought I smelled it burning.  I realized butter was dripping over the sides so I set my bread pan in a cake pan to catch the drips.

Then I worried that the outside would burn and the inside would be raw.  I had all but convinced myself this loaf would be trashed when Jess saved the day!  She wrapped the loaf pan in tinfoil and placed it back in the cake pan and back into the oven.  Doing this trapped the heat in and allowed the middle to cook all the way though and the outside to stay moist.

Finally, after an hour I pulled it out of the oven and inserted the toothpick.  It was still really mushy in the center.  So I popped it back in.  After 10 minutes I checked it again.  Very close but still to mushy.  After 10 more minutes it was done.

And perfect!

It was most evenly baked banana bread I have ever made.  And the muffins we yummy too!