Banana Bread

I have known this recipe all my life. But you know something? I don't know if this recipe came from my late Oma or from my Mom. They both made it all the time, but I don't know who's recipe it was. Either way, I have always loved it!

In later years, one of my Mom's friends told her to try making it with chocolate chips. It was like the recipe was reborn into something even more fantastic! I never did like it when nuts were added (that was my Mom's favourite), but chocolate chips! Oh my god! I fell in love all over again.

Now my Mom hasn't done much for baking in recent years and the torch has been passed to me to do the baking for the family. I still make this whenever I have old bananas in the house that are too black to eat.

I've heard of people throwing the bananas in the freezer to blacken them, but I prefer to use bananas that have been left out to the point of turning completely black. I have no idea why it tastes better and why you don't die from eating rotten bananas, I just know that unless they are black, the banana bread just doesn't taste as good.

Now on to the recipe!

You will need:

• ⅓ c. shortening
• ⅔ c. sugar
• 2 well beaten eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. mashed blackened bananas 
• 1 ¾ c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 c. [milk]chocolate chips (optional)


• bread tin or muffin/cupcake tin


Preheat the oven to 350°F.


Cream together the shortening and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and blend together well. Set aside. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the mashed banana. 


Grease a bread tin with shortening. You can also grease the muffin/cupcake tin. I don't like using papers for banana bread. But if you're looking to making cleaning easier, use the papers. Fill what ever type of baking tin you have approximately half full with the batter. Bake for 50-55 minutes of until a tooth pick comes out clean. 


This recipe doesn't turn out that dark. If the tops of the bread turns brown, you've baked it for too long and it will be dry. If you dried it out, it can be salvaged if you put it in the microwave for about a minute with a glass of water. I recommend only doing this with the portion you will eat and just wrap up the rest for later. 


This recipe also freezes very well. I often make banana cupcakes and throw them in the freezer for my husband to take to lunch with him. He usually just takes one out of the freezer on his way to work, leaves it on his desk and by lunch , it's defrosted and good to eat. 


I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have over the years.