Great Grandma’s Banana Bread Recipe, With a Twist. A “Little Black Dress” of a Recipe

Great Grandma’s Banana Bread Recipe, With A Twist.
 A “Little Black Dress” of a Recipe
Sara Lynn, RN BSN

​Great Grandma Thelma was well known for her talents in the kitchen. As a mother to 6, she had a lot of practice stretching ingredients, and pleasing picky pallets. This recipe is a great way to use up old bananas and create easy breakfasts, snacks, and desserts. I usually store up over-ripe bananas in the freezer until I am ready to do some baking. As an added bonus, the completed banana bread freezes nicely and can be thawed overnight for an easy breakfast the following day. This recipe never disappoints...

Great Grandma’s Banana Bread Recipe, 
​With a Twist A “Little Black Dress” of a Recipe
Sara Lynn, RN BSN

Great Grandma Thelma was well known for her talents in the kitchen. As a mother to 6, she had a lot of practice stretching ingredients, and pleasing picky pallets. This recipe is a great way to use up old bananas and create easy breakfasts, snacks, and desserts. I usually store up over-ripe bananas in the freezer until I am ready to do some baking. As an added bonus, the completed banana bread freezes nicely and can be thawed overnight for an easy breakfast the following day. This recipe never disappoints.

Why do I call this a “little black dress” of a recipe, you may ask? Because it is easily dressed up or down. This batter can be baked into large loaves, small loaves, muffin tins, bars (topped with cream cheese frosting recipe below), or as Great Grandma Thelma did, baked into small heart shaped tins. The twist? I add double the bananas that Great Grandma did, which allows me to cut the sugar in half and retain 100% of the flavor. When I’m making banana bars, I cut the powdered sugar in the cream cheese frosting way down, which actually enhances the flavor of the frosting, letting the cream cheese shine.

Let's get started. I’ll have a few little hands helping me in the kitchen, as I’m sure Great Grandma did too. 

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Ingredients:

• 5 Over-Ripe Bananas, mashed (thawed, if taken from the freezer)
• ½ Cup Melted Butter
• ¾ Cup Sugar
• ¾ Cup Sour Milk (Add 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar to the Milk, let sit, then add 1 Tsp Baking Soda to Milk mixer, let foam and stir until blended)
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• 2 Cups Flour

Frosting for Bars

• 8 oz Block Cream Cheese, softened
• ½ Cup Butter, softened 
• 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tsp Vanilla

Mash bananas.

​Sour milk by adding Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda, and mix thoroughly.

Add Sour Milk to the other wet ingredients.

Mix wet ingredients.

Add flour, and mix until thoroughly combined.

Fill desired pans ¾ full. Remember to grease your pans ahead of time.

Place pans in the center rack of the oven, and bake at 350 degrees.

Large loaves - 30 minutes
Small loaves - 22 minutes
9x13 pan - 25 minutes
Muffin pan/small heart tins - 26 minutes

Bread will be done when golden brown on top and toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. If the toothpick is coated with wet batter, return to the oven. If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is likely overbaked. To avoid overbaking, check frequently during baking by using the oven light.

To make cream cheese frosting, place all ingredients in a bowl with tall sides and use an electric mixer to whip until smooth. ​

As you can see, this recipe really can be dressed up or down. Try adding in a cup of blueberries, walnuts, or chocolate chips for another twist. Don’t forget the secret ingredient: love. Serve banana bread with a spread of butter and enjoy! 

I tripled the recipe and will be saving some of this batch in the freezer for simple back to school breakfasts. Wondering what to do with all those banana peels? Place them around the base of rose bushes as a great natural fertilizer.

Sara Lynn, RN, BSN

“If you don’t invest in your health, no one else will.”

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