The other day a friend saw my less than impressive over-ripe bananas and said, “Perfect banana bread bananas!”. I told her I was planning on either making banana bread or banana chocolate chip muffins, which are always a big hit. She told me to try the Magnolia Table recipe for banana bread and I came across another very basic Joanna Gaines recipe that I attempted instead. It bakes in a 9”x13” baking pan instead of a loaf pan and uses 4 bananas. I love that it’s fairly basic, so mix-ins can easily be added. Here’s my take with what our family loves to mix in to customize it!

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe bananas
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tap vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick softened butter
• Optional: chocolate chips, blueberries, nuts, cinnamon, or other desired extra ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cream together the sugar, softened butter, and vanilla using a stand or hand mixer.
3. Mash bananas well with a fork and add to sugar, butter, and vanilla mixture. Add eggs and mix well.
4. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until fully mixed.
5. Add any additional desired ingredients such as chocolate chips, nuts, or blueberries and add to a greased 9”x13” baking pan. Bake at 325 Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Tent pan with aluminum foil and serve when cooked.