Banana bread with streusel topping

Recipe #3: Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

One of Matt's favorite treats is banana bread, but we have a problem in our house that prevents me from making it. We always end up eating the bananas before they can reach that perfect overripe state needed for banana bread. So, the last time we went to the grocery store we bought about 5 extra bananas and practiced some self-restraint and let them get all nice and mushy. It was hard work, you guys!

I debated not posting this recipe, because it didn't seem fancy or complicated enough for a cooking blog. Then, I decided that I have to be true to myself. While I do use gourmet cheeses and things like rosemary-infused grapeseed oil (thanks, Aunt Robynn!), I also buy Doritos and Oreos and eat them straight out of the bag. I'm not claiming to be Ina Garten or Martha Stewart, so I'll try to remain unpretentious. Besides, banana bread is classic, and every beginning baker should give it a try. If you don't like it, then I'm not sure we should be friends.

I used the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook--you know, the red and white checkered one (mine's pink and white for breast cancer awareness). Here's the link to the recipe online: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/quickbreads/banana-bread/

Lastly, here are my banana bread pointers:
1. Mash up the bananas in a large Pyrex measuring container (if you have one). This makes it easy to measure the bananas, since most recipes call for the mashed bananas in cups, not number of bananas. My recipe said five bananas would be around the right amount, but mine were large so I only needed four. Here they are unmashed:

2. Use a potato masher for the bananas. You can also use a fork, but that will take longer.
3. Feel free to customize it to your liking. I left out the nuts, because Matt doesn't like them, and I added some vanilla extract. I've also seen versions with chocolate chips.
4. Don't try to take it out of the pan immediately, or it may come out in chunks.
5. If it does come out in chunks, eat those chunks immediately to destroy the evidence. No one has to know!


I didn't get any chunks this time.