Melissa’s Menu: Banana bread

Bananas are a staple in my kitchen. Not only are they one of my favorite fruits, but they are a perfect on-the-go snack, require no preparation and are super versatile. Another great thing about bananas? If they’re too ripe to eat, you can turn them into a delicious dessert: Banana bread. This banana bread recipe is one of the best. It results in a super moist, flavorful bread. The recipe calls for full-fat sour cream which adds a richer, tangier flavor than traditional milk and includes both chocolate chips and walnuts to create a perfect balance of crunch and meltiness. Banana bread is an easy, simple recipe that can be eaten for breakfast, dessert or anything in between.  

Ingredients 

2 cups of all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon of baking soda 

1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt 

1/2 cup (one stick) of unsalted butter, melted 

1 cup of granulated sugar 

1 large egg and one egg yolk 

1/4 cup of sour cream 

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

3 ripe bananas, mashed 

1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/2 cup of chopped toasted walnuts 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In another large bowl, mix together melted butter, sugar, egg and egg yolk, sour cream and vanilla. Add mashed bananas and stir until combined. If bananas are not ripe, leaving them in a brown paper bag prior to baking can help speed up the ripening process. Gradually, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts and transfer to prepared loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about one hour). Let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Thumbnail by Photo by Whitney Wright on Unsplash

Melissa Scrivani is the associate life editor for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at melissa.scrivani@uconn.edu.