When I came back from Costa Rica, I bought some plantains, intending to make some fried plantains. Sadly, the plantains were not yet ripe enough for this venture, and by the time that they were, I was no longer in the mood for fried plantains. Now I was left with some overripe plantains that I did not particularly want to eat. Instead, I decided that I would whip together some banana bread in mini-loaf pans and distribute it to people!
Banana-Honey Bread
2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c + 2 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 c light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c honey
2 eggs
2 bananas, peeled and mashed
2/3 c nuts, chopped (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350oF. Butter and flour 2 large loaf pans.
2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add the honey and beat until blended. Add the eggs, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with the mashed bananas. Beat on medium speed after each addition until smooth.
3. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Sprinkle with nuts, if using.
4. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a wire rack.
