B's Banana Bread

So J has a scout camp out tonight and he has to bring his own food for dinner and breakfast.  Dinner is easy.  Tin Foil Dinner.  Bam. 
Breakfast.......huh.  What travels well and will not result in 3rd degree burns when a 12 year old tries to cook it???  HA!!  Banana Bread :)
Well - in this case Banana Muffins.  With Chocolate Chips.  Mmmmmmmm.  This recipe is a combination of my Mom's banana bread  - which is nummy - and a fancy banana loaf recipe - that is divine.  (I suppose that makes this bread divine numminess.  ba-dum-bump.)

I make this bread with my KitchenAid stand mixer.  It's my best friend.  It needs a name though....thoughts?  Anyhoo - here we go.

Mix together 1/2 cup of butter - - REAL butter.  C'mon people.  Friends don't let friends bake with margarine. I always use unsalted butter, but if you prefer the salted use it. - - and 1 cup of sugar.  Mix for a couple of minutes until its fluffy.  Add 2 large bananas - I just peel the bananas and throw them right in the mixer.  That way there are little chunks of bananas in the bread.  If that does not appeal to you, put the bananas in a separate bowl, mash them up with a fork, and then add to the butter/sugar mixture.  Mix well.  Add 2 eggs, one at a time, until blended.  Add 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix.
Now here is where you are supposed to get a separate bowl for the dry ingredients and mix them together before you add them to the butter mixture.  Fooey.  I have to wash the dishes when I am done here....who wants MORE to wash??  I put the dry ingredients on top of the banana mixture and mix the dry ingredients together with a spoon then put the mixer down and mix it all together.  Works every time.  The dry ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp. salt - if you used salted butter, leave this out! 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. allspice, and 1/4 tsp. cloves.  Mix well.  Now here you can have a little fun.  Add chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins, whatever you like.  Pour into a loaf pan and bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes.  Today I added chocolate chips and instead of a bread pan I used a muffin tin, which bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

B's Banana Bread

Mix together:
1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup sugar
Add two large bananas.  Mix
Add 2 eggs, one at a time, until blended.
Add 1 tsp. vanilla.  Mix

In a separate bowl mix together:
2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. allspice, and 1/4 tsp. cloves.  Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and mix well.  Add chocolate chips or nuts if desired.  Pour into a loaf pan and bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes.  Enjoy!