Community Corner

Holiday Recipe: Fall-Inspired Banana Bread

Filled with extra goodies like cranberry, nuts and chocolate, this banana bread is the perfect addition to a holiday or weekend brunch.

Written by Julia Halewicz

There's no better way to use overly ripe bananas than making a homemade banana bread. Fill the house with the smell of a freshly baked loaf and your kids will clamor to the kitchen for a bite. Add handfuls of dried cranberries, nuts and chocolate chips to the recipe for a fall-inspired take on this perennial favorite. The mix of sweet batter and chips with crunchy nuts and tart, dried cranberries makes each bite a medley of flavors and textures. This recipe is bound to become a family favorite.


Why don't you ...

  • Double the recipe below and freeze a loaf; use the second loaf one morning when you need a quick breakfast for the kids
  • Split the recipe into little loaf pans or muffin tins and give them as gifts. Use colored cellophane and wide grosgrain ribbon for a festive wrapping
  • Serve the homemade loaf at your Thanksgiving dinner with a honey compound butter (see recipe below)

Dried Cranberry, Nut, Chocolate and Banana Bread 

Ingredients: 
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips

Preparation: 
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Lightly grease one large loaf pan. 
  • Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda together. Put in shortening or butter with pastry blender. 
  • Add mashed bananas and eggs. Stir in nuts, dried cranberries, chocolate chips or similar ingredients to taste. 
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Honey Compound Butter
Ingredients:
8 ounces of room temperature butter
1 teaspoon of honey

Preparation: 
  • Mix butter and honey until thoroughly blended. 
  • Serve room temperature with banana bread.

Check out our Lifestyle section for more homemade bread and dessert ideas for the holidays.

This article is part of Mix It Up, an editorial series created in collaboration with AOL's Kitchen Daily and Huffington Post. It is dedicated to making the lives of mothers easier through articles, videos and slideshows focused on simple and creative solutions to everyday challenges. From healthy recipes to exciting ideas for a more balanced lifestyle, this section aims to become a resource for moms everywhere. 


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