Blueberry Walnut Banana Bread

Who doesn't love a good loaf of banana bread for breakfast? A snack? Dessert? Whenever?! One of the reasons I make banana bread so often is that I have the WORST habit of buying big bunches of bananas, and not eating them in time. Maybe I'm subconsciously buying them with the intention of making banana bread? Who knows. Either way, it's a win win!

This banana bread is a super simple recipe with big flavor. I usually use two bowls; one medium bowl for mashing the bananas and one large bowl for preparing the batter. If desired, you can definitely make it work with just one big bowl! The first step to make this bread is preparing the wet ingredients.
Those ingredients are:

• Mashed bananas
• Eggs
• Brown sugar
• Melted butter
• Vanilla Extract

For mashing the bananas, peel your ripe bananas and put them in a medium sized bowl. Now, you need to smash them. You can use a fork, but I have found that using a potato masher is makes it even simpler. Mash the bananas until all of the big lumps are gone.

Then, I like to use a big glass measuring cup just to make sure I have the right amount of banana for the batter. If your measurements are slightly off, a tiny amount less or a small bit more shouldn't make too much difference. Once the bananas are measured and ready to go, pour them into a large bowl, whisk all of the remaining wet ingredients together.

Now it's time to add in the dry ingredients to the bowl.
Those ingredients are:

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon

There is no need to mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before adding them to the wet mixture. They will get incorporated just fine when the wet and dry ingredients are whisked together.

Once your batter is smooth and combined, it's time to fold in the blueberries and the walnuts. I strongly recommend folding in the walnuts and blueberries with a spatula, as opposed to whisking them in. Whisking will smash the berries.

Once you pour all the delicious batter in the prepared pan, you can top it with more blueberries, more walnuts, or extra banana slices (if you have more). NOW IT'S TIME TO BAKE! This bread bakes with a nice, high rise to it. It usually takes between 50-55 minutes to cook through completely. You can check the middle of the loaf with a toothpick to make sure it's baked through.

I suggest allowing your loaf to cool for at least an hour after baking before slicing. If the bread is too warm, the slices may start to break apart. Once cooled, it's time to slice and devour. Eat it straight, or slather it in almond butter, peanut butter, or whatever your heart desires!

Blueberry Walnut Banana Bread

Servings

1

Loaf

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

55

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• ¾ teaspoons baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 2 large eggs

• 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)

• 6 tablespoons melted butter

• ½ cup packed brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• ½ cup fresh blueberries

• ⅓ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• In a medium bowl, mash peeled bananas until mostly smooth. Some small lumps are fine. Measure them out.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
• Next, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the wet ingredients. Whisk until combined and batter is smooth. Fold in the blueberries and walnuts.
• Grease a 9x5in loaf pan. Additionally, if desired, line the pan with parchment paper after greasing it. It further prevents sticking, and it makes it even easier to remove the loaf from the pan once cooled. Pour batter in the prepared pan.
• Bake for 52-55 minutes, until golden brown, and until the middle of the loaf is baked through. You can poke the top of the loaf in the middle, and if it springs back, it should be done!
• Let cool for at least hour before slicing. Enjoy!