Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups (4 average sized) over-ripe bananas
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped *toasted walnuts (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel bananas and place in a microwave safe bowl. Mash lightly with a fork. Microwave for 2 minutes allowing the bananas to release their flavorful liquid. Add sugar and melted butter to bananas. Mix well mashing out any lumps and dissolving sugar completely. Set aside to cool.
While mixture is cooling, lightly chop walnuts. Spread evenly on a sheet pan and toast walnuts in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
*Toasting the walnuts removes the bitterness in the walnut giving it a sweeter, nuttier flavor.
Add lightly beaten eggs and vanilla to banana mixture. Blend well.
Sift flour, soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Add dry mixture to banana mixture 1/2 cup at a time incorporating each one fully until dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
Add walnuts and mix well.
Spray a 9" x 5" (2-1/2" deep) glass loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper, cutting at each corner to fit into pan, overlapping corners to seal in batter.
Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour (or until knife inserted directly into middle comes out clean.
Cool completely before serving.
