Magnolia Table - Banana Bread

Hey, Y'all! I am so excited to share a collection of recipes with you that come from my very favorite cookbook: Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines. Of course, all of her recipes are amazing, and it was difficult to narrow it down to a few favorites. Since I had some older bananas on hand, I thought we would go ahead and make use of those with some delicious banana bread, a classic comfort food. Joanna keeps the recipe simple yet delectable with easy to follow instructions. With a prep time of 15 minutes, the only difficult part is waiting 45-50 minutes for the bread to come out of the oven, however, the results are totally worth it!

Ingredients:

Nonstick baking spray, for the pan

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for serving

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4-5 very ripe bananas, mashed

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar as needed

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with nonstick baking spray. Now, normally I would have used your typical bread pan, but this is the size pan Joanna suggests. Who am i to argue with her?!
2. Mix together your butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. After that is well blended, add in the bananas and mix gently until combined.
3. In a separate medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. You can also add in some chopped pecans if you like. (Add in whatever type of nut you prefer- maybe even some chocolate chips for a fun twist!)
5. Once you have thoroughly mixed your batter, pour it into the 8x8 inch pan and spread evenly. Joanna suggests that you sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of the batter. She says " I like to cover the whole surface completely with sugar; use as much as you'd like." ( I like my tea extra sweet, so why not my banana bread?)
6. Let the bread bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

It was suggested to let the bread cool for 5-10 minutes before serving, however, I did not have the patience. I immediately had a slice of the fresh bread with a pat of butter on it that melted in perfectly and made for a delicious afternoon snack. You could leave off the granulated sugar for a slightly healthier version, but I found that the granulated sugar gave a satisfying slightly crisp texture to the top of the bread. Serve this bread alone as a treat or complete a meal by serving it on the side. I hope you love this classic recipe as much as I do! Be sure to subscribe to my posts and let me know if you give this recipe a try!