Raise Your Hand for Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

because help is on the way for your brown bananas

I’m back.

I know you missed me while I was gone. But readers, I needed a break.

You ever get that way? Just mentally and physically drained?

Well, that was me prior to last week and I decided to just take the week with my family and completely disengage from it all.

Social media. My blog. Work.

And it was heaven, very much needed, and I appreciate the time away.

But I’m baaaaaaccccckkkkk.

Rested, full, recharged and a little bit brownish (don’t worry, I blocked up, laid under the umbrella and wore a hat the size of Rhode Island, I am 52 after all).

Speaking of brownish… anybody out there ever let their bananas sit too long?

Anybody?

Well, it’s me. I swear, I buy bananas by the truckloads at my house, but since I’m the only one who eats them, sometimes they get a little brown.

Or a lot brown.

Neither one of my kids will touch a banana with a ten-foot pole. I myself love them and love anything banana flavored.

Except the brown ones.

I sit and stare at them in the bowl on my island until they are black, always with the good intention of making banana nut bread.

But I’ve never had a good recipe.

Until now. And I’m sharing.

I have tried several, and by several, I’m guessing probably 8-10 different recipes for banana nut bread through the years. I found this one on a blog called Comfortable Food, so a big shoutout to their test kitchen!

Scott loved it and I have put quite a few loaves under his nose (I can rhyme with the best of them) for testing, but this one, this one is special.

I think it’s the cream cheese…I really do. Well, the cream cheese and the toasted walnuts…it’s so light and delicious.

And let me tell you, the smell from toasting the walnuts and the bread baking, well, I felt like I had been transported back to the prairie with Laura.

Laura Ingalls Wilder that is.

So, let’s start by toasting our walnuts. Don’t be intimidated, there’s a couple of ways to do it, both super easy.

This time, I chose to put them in a small Teflon coated skillet, about a cup and a half, nothing on them, and let them heat over medium heat until they are fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.

You can also toast them in the oven, and when I do pecans, which incidentally, would be delicious in this recipe as well, I put them in a 350 degree oven on a parchment lined cookie sheet for about 7-10 minutes.

Listen to me very carefully, don’t skip this step. Whenever your recipe gives you the option to toast your nuts, toast away.

Wait.

That didn’t come out like I wanted it to. Oh well, just toast your nuts and move on.

While your walnuts are cooling, cream ¾ cup of butter and an 8-ounce cream cheese in the bowl of your mixer until blended and creamy.

Here comes the sifter! I told you that you would frequently need one and here we are again!

In a separate bowl, sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. This makes the bread rise up real nice.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low until it’s well blended.

Right about now it would be a good idea to mash your bananas, while your batter is finishing up getting happy.

Then fold in your walnuts and bananas. This batter is scrumptious, to quote my late grandmother, Bitsy.

Now, this was the tricky part for me this time. I don’t think I had the right size pans, as I have never really shopped for loaf pans.

But, this makes a LOT of batter, and the recipe says to pour it into two well-greased pans (Baker’s Joy…Baker’s Joy…Baker’s Joy). Well, I didn’t want my bread to be too dense, so, I opted to do two loaf pans and a dozen muffins!

I assure you I will be shopping for loaf pans soon! I think I will look for two same sized larger ones.

Finally, bake your loaves in a preheated 350-degree oven for one hour. Listen, the muffins didn’t take as long, so I would suggest about 35-45 minutes for them.

One hour…your house smells great, your old bananas have been used…all is well with the world.

Hey…I’m a problem solver.

I always cool my pans on my wire rack, so let them cool about 15-20 minutes and remove them from their pans.

Question: What is your favorite breakfast bread?