#2,002: One Bowl Banana Bread

I had 3 bananas sitting on my counter getting very ripe and I was going to throw them in the freezer for smoothies like I normally do, but I decided to make my kids some banana bread instead.  They LOVED this recipe and I've actually made it again tonight with more bananas from our freezer.  I love that everything is made in one bowl...less mess to clean up!!

I have a husband who loves green tipped bananas, but the second they get a brown speck on them he won't eat them.  So a lot of bananas go into the freezer (it's one fruit we don't ever seem to eat fast enough).  I personally don't love bananas on their own but throw them in some sort of baked good and I'll happily enjoy it.  This would be a great recipe to double to either have an extra loaf on hand (in the freezer of course) for breakfast, or to share with a friend, co-worker, or neighbor.  

3 very ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.

Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F (175°C), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren't crumbly.)