Banana-Walnut Mini Loaves Recipe

Banana-Walnut Mini Loaves Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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We have many walnut trees in Pennsylvania. You have to collect and crack a lot of nuts for a pound of meat—but oh how good the baked goods taste!—Lee Sauers, Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania

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Banana-Walnut Mini Loaves Recipe

Prep: 20 min. Bake: 25 min. + cooling

Yield: 12 Servings

20 25 45

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped black walnuts
CINNAMON SPREAD:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas.
Combine the flour, cardamom, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg; gradually add to banana mixture just until moistened. Fold in walnuts.
Pour into six greased 4-1/2-in. x 2-1/2-in. x 1-1/2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 22-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine the spread ingredients. Serve with bread. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 6 loaves (4 slices each) and 1 cup spread.

Nutritional Facts 2 slices with 2 teaspoons spread equals 169 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 38 mg cholesterol, 114 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Originally published as Banana-Walnut Mini Loaves in Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook Annual 2008, p89

Banana Basics

Look for plump bananas that are evenly yellow-colored. Green bananas are under-ripe, while a flecking of brown flecks indicates ripeness. If bananas are too green, place in a paper bag until ripe. Adding an apple to the bag will speed the process. Store ripe bananas at room temperature. To prevent bruises, a banana hook or hanger is a great inexpensive investment. For longer storage, you can place ripe bananas in a tightly sealed plastic bag and refrigerate. The peel will become brown but the flesh will remain unchanged. One pound of bananas equals about 3 medium or 1-1/3 cups mashed.