This Bread is Bananas

True story: I sing the Gwen Stefani song every time I spell banana. Now I'll be singing Hollaback Girl for the rest of the afternoon. There are worse songs to have stuck in your head, I suppose, though none come to mind at the moment. 

It’s finally starting to feel like fall around here. The mornings are downright cold, but when I get out of work in the afternoon, it’s the definition of crisp and I love it. I decided to embrace my favorite running weather and went for a run after work today. I was all set to come here and brag about my new fall fitness regimen –one whole run- when I realized that the only thing more boring than going on a run is reading about someone else’s run. Snooze.

Going in the complete opposite direction, I’m here today w/ a recipe. Banana bread anyone? Before you get all up in arms about how dare I post a recipe minus the apple or pumpkin in the middle of fall, let me assure you that this banana bread delivers. Banana bread is healthy food masquerading as comfort food; it doesn't get any healthier than bananas and Greek yogurt (and sugar and butter). Okay, maybe it's more like comfort food pretending to be healthy, but pretending helps when I'm halfway through devouring the entire loaf.  

Banana pairs w/ all the beautiful spices of fall, so add a little cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves if you need that seasonal element. Or enjoy w/ a cup of your salted caramel latte or pumpkin spiced coffee or whatever it is Starbucks is making its fortune on. 

banana bread w/ peanut butter is EVERYTHING 

Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature 

¾ cup sugar 

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup Greek yogurt (sour cream works)

2 medium bananas, mashed

1½ cups AP flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Instructions: 

1) Preheat oven to 350 F and spray your loaf pan w/ nonstick spray 

2) In a stand mixer, or hand held, cream butter and sugar

3) Add eggs and vanilla, stopping to scrape the bowl when necessary 

4) Add yogurt (or sour cream) and mashed bananas

5) Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix slowly until evenly combined, scraping the bowl as necessary 

6) Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Sorry I couldn't give a more precise bake time, but ovens vary so much; set the timer lower and check every few minutes if you're worried about overbaking