Grandma Losee's Famous Banana Bread

My Grandma Losee recently passed away, and it was mentioned multiple times at her funeral how she was known for her Banana Bread.  This came as somewhat of a surprise to me, because that isn't something that I remembered her for.  But, when her recipe got passed around the cousins, and I made it and then tasted it, the taste totally brought back feelings of being at Grandma's when I was younger!  And, it is a really moist, delicious banana bread.  So now, I will remember Grandma when I eat her yummy banana bread!  She was an amazing woman!  (My kids dove right into the loaf before I could even take a picture, so I put in a pre-cooked picture, but know that looked and tasted amazing).

Banana Bread

by: June Losee

3 or 4 ripe bananas (I used 4)

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/8 c. melted margarine (I used butter)

optional 1 c. chocolate chips or nuts

Mash the bananas.  Add the other ingredients and mix it well.  Stir in the chocolate chips or nuts.  Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan.  Bake it at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Amazing Banana Cream Pie with Salted Caramel Sauce

We made a lot of really delicious pies for Thanksgiving this year.  This was one that my girls and I found and decided that we really needed this on Thanksgiving.  It was super easy, very creamy and delicious, and probably my favorite of all that I tasted.

Banana Cream Pie with Salted Caramel Sauce
adapted from: thisgalcooks.com

1 baked pie crust
1 c. chopped vanilla wafers
2 small bananas
1 8 oz. tub of whipped topping, divided
1 1/2 c. milk
1 5.1 oz box of instant banana cream pudding
dash of lemon juice
salted caramel sauce

In a large bowl, stir together the banana pudding and the milk until thick and creamy.  Fold in 1/2 of the tub of whipped topping.  Slice your bananas and sprinkle them with a dash of lemon juice to prevent them from browning.  Stir the banana slices in to your pudding mixture.  Pour it all in your cooled pie crust.  Refrigerate the pie until the pudding is set (I made mine before the Thanksgiving meal started, and then added the rest of the ingredients just before we ate pie).  Spread the remaining whipped topping over the top of the pudding mixture.  Sprinkle the chopped vanilla wafers on top, and then drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the top of the wafers.  Serve it immediately and enjoy!

Banoffee Pie

I made this pie for Thanksgiving this year.  And it is much more than just a graham cracker crust and some caramel.  But, I think I must have taken a picture of the final product with someone else's camera at Thanksgiving.  So, to my family members who were there, if you have a picture of my pie, could you send it to me?  This was a super rich, sweet and very delicious pie.  Try to imagine it covered in bananas and whipping cream.  Yum.

Banoffee Pie
from: many different websites, but mostly, food.com

1 graham cracker crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 bananas
1 pint heavy whipping cream
sugar and vanilla, to taste

The night before you need your pie (or at least a good few hours before), turn your sweetened condensed milk into dulce de leche.  I followed the recipe for this on Our Best Bites, but there were many different ways to make it.  Pour your can of sweetened condensed milk into a shallow baking dish, like a pie plate.  Make a water bath by setting the pie plate inside a larger dish (like a roasting pan).  Pour water in the outside dish until it is about halfway up the outside of the pie plate.  Cover the pie plate tightly with tin foil.  Bake it at 425 degrees for an hour and then check it.  It should be a nice, brown, carmel color.  If it isn't put it back in for another 20 minutes, or so and check it again.  Once it is ready, stir it until it is smooth and then let it cool a little before pouring it into the graham cracker crust.  Refrigerate it over night (or a couple of hours).  Prepare your heavy whipping cream by mixing together the cream, sugar and vanilla (I usually add about 2 tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla, but taste it and add more if you want). When you are ready to serve it, slice the bananas onto the dulce de leche and then spread the whipping cream over the top of that.  Grate a chocolate bar on top.  Serve it immediately.  And have a big drink of milk ready!

Super Moist Banana Bread

I didn't really know what to call this.  I wanted to convey to you that this is not your normal, run of the mill banana bread.  I am not a big banana bread fan.  I liked the coconut lime banana bread recipe, but so many banana breads are a little too dry for my taste and kind of blah.  That is not true for this recipe.  There is no better way to describe it but as super moist.  I shared it with Lynnette and you know how she described it?  Super moist.  It is super delicious and (have I mentioned?), super moist.  It has changed my view of banana bread.  And maybe my life.  And maybe it will change your life, too.


Super Moist Banana Bread
from my friend Jen P:


1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
3 crushed bananas
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour a bread pan.  Cream together the sugar, butter and eggs. Stir in the bananas.  Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder and mix it well.  Stir in the chocolate chips.   Pour it all into the pan and bake it for approximately 1 hour.  My oven bakes a little slow and it took about 1 hour and 15 minutes for mine to cook completely.  It is done when a fork poked in the middle comes out clean.

Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

I decided that it was time I contributed to this blog.  Kelly, one of our student clerks, brought these cookies and the recipe to work one day a few years ago, and it has become one of my favorites. 

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas (mashed)
1/2 can evaporated milk
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
6 oz package chocolate chips

Sift dry ingredients together. (I don't sift.  I just throw them together and mix them up with a fork or a whip.)  In separate bowl, mix shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs to sugar mixture until well blended.  In another bowl, mix mashed bananas and evaporated milk.  Add flour and banana mixtures to sugar mixture and blend together well.  (I usually alternate adding the flour and banana mixture a third at a time - always starting and ending with the flour mixture.)  Add chocolate chips.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  (I've never baked them for more than 10 minutes, but it may vary depending on how hot your oven is.)

I made them with the boys in December, and I think they liked them!

Banana Almond Muffins

So my good friend from work also loves to bake and she has given me a few awesome recipes that I will be keeping and making for a long time.  One recipe that she loves to make, and luckily loves to share with us the next day:), is this yummy muffin recipe.  They are sweet and filling and perfect for breakfast or brunch!  The original recipe calls for macadamia nuts, but my friend makes them with almonds and I didn't want to mess with something so perfect.  (She actually uses whole almonds but I had slivered on hand, so depending on the amount of crunch you want, you could always coarsely chop some whole almonds for the top instead.)  And if I'm completely honest, I accidentally added a little too much pineapple and I was scared it would be too thin, but they turned out perfect and I liked the added sweetness.

Banana Almond Muffins

adapted from Stasha Wampler

Yields: 2 dozen

Ingredients:

3 c. flour

2 c. sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 c. canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 medium ripe bananas, mashed

1 c. flaked coconut

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pinapple, drained

1 c. almonds, whole (coarsely chopped) or slivered

Directions: 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  in another bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and vanilla.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in the bananas, coconut, and pineapple.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.  Sprinkle with nuts. (Be generous.)  Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Don't wait to make these!  You won't regret it.

Banana Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I love these cupcakes!!  I may have eaten this frosting by the spoonful as I was making it.  My friend made them for us at work and I couldn't wait to try them myself.  They're moist and deliciously sweet, and the banana in the cupcake balances out the peanut butter frosting very very well.

Banana Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 ½ c. sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
1 ¼ c. ripe banana, mashed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until batter is smooth.
4. Combine all dry ingredients and mix into batter in 3 parts,
alternating with buttermilk.  Reduce speed to low and mix for 2 more
minutes
5. Line cupcake pan with wrappers.  Using a spatula gently fold mashed
bananas into batter.  Scoop into cups until 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 25 minutes and let cool.

FOR FROSTING

2 c. powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. creamy peanut butter (i used chunky b.c that's all I had :)
3 tbsp milk

Combine powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. Then add 1 cup peanut
butter and milk. Mix until spreadable.

Makes 18

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

I saw this recipe while browsing a food blog I recently discovered: Our Best Bites. One of the authors and her husband were in Dustin's Horticulture program at BYU. The recipes on this blog all look amazing. I have wanted to make everything I see!

I tried this banana bread recipe tonight. I am not a total lover of banana bread. It's ok, but not my favorite. This one looked just enough different that it was enticing to me. And I wasn't disappointed! The smell of this cooking was divine. The lime added just a little, tangy yumminess. And it was really pretty to look at. I used sour cream instead of yogurt, milk instead of apple juice and I reduced the sugar just a little, like maybe by 1/4 cup (I always do).

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

From http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2 c. flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. real butter, softened

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. mashed, ripe banana (about 4 bananas)

1/4 c. sour cream or plain yogurt

3 Tbsp. apple juice or milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. coconut

Topping: 2 Tbsp coconut

Glaze: 1/2 c. powdered sugar whisked with 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Combine flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl mix sugar and butter until well combined. Add eggs and beat well. Add bananas, sour cream or yogurt, apple juice or milk and vanilla and beat until well blended. Stir in 1/2 c. coconut.

Pour into a greased 9X5" loaf pan and sprinkle the top with 2 Tbsp. coconut. Bake for 1 hour. Note: Check after 40 minutes and if top looks brown and coconut is toasting, cover with tin foil and bake for the remaining time.

When done, let cool for 10 minutes and then remove bread from the pan. Prepare glaze by whisking powdered sugar and lime juice and then drizzle over the top of the bread. Let cool an additional 15 minutes before serving.