Banana Bread

At the risk of sounding like a liar, I tried another Martha Stewart recipe. I know, I know. I said I don't often attempt them. But her Pumpkin Spice Bread was so good (with a little tweaking :) I couldn't resist trying another of her bread recipes...with just a little extra spice thrown in.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

*1/2 cup nuts (optional) -  traditionally, banana bread has walnuts. But I came across an Emeril Lagasse recipe that used chopped macadamia nuts, and I think that sounds delicious! You can use any kind of nut you like. Or leave them out. Whatever your preference.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

2. With a hand- or stand-mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated.

4. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture (in thirds) and mix until just combined.

5. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Mix to combine.

6. Stir in the nuts (if using).

7. Pour into pan. Bake until done, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. (To prevent a burnt loaf, I tented a piece of aluminum foil and placed it on top of the loaf pan about 30 minutes into baking. This ensured that the bread cooked on the outside but prevented it from burning as it cooked through).

8. Let stand 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.