This bread is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Sometimes we buy bananas to let them sit on top of the fridge over-ripening. Because then we get to make banana bread! I adapted this recipe from Elise’s banana bread recipe at Simply Recipes.

Here are the poor over-ripe bananas.

You know they’re ready when the entire stem breaks off when you pluck them from the fridge/fruit bowl/counter top:

I decided to try something new with this batch:

Spiced Banana Bread

You’ll need:

4 medium-sized ripe bananas

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

dash of salt

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/3 cup walnuts

First, mash your bananas. If they’re as ripe as they should be, it won’t take more then a gentle prodding with a fork for them to disintegrate into gooey banana mush. Mix in all of your other ingredients. I, of course, used my mean, green mixing machine—not necessary, just more fun.

Pour the batter into a loaf pan. I’ve been scarred by some near-disasters with overflowing baked goods, so I played it safe and divided the batter among two pans. If you do this, they should only need about 40 minutes at 350 degrees. With one pan, leave it in for about an hour. You can test the doneness with a toothpick.