There are so many smells in the kitchen that bring me back to my childhood: homemade spaghetti sauce (or gravy as my 100% Italian Dad calls it), baked pork chops with apples and raisins, roast chicken, and banana bread. And since my Mom has always been more of a cooker than a baker, and as I've become more of a baker than a cooker, I'm finding myself holding her limited collection of fabulous baking recipes close to my heart; her banana bread recipe being numero uno.

Be honest. Rotting bananas are not a pretty sight and whether they are on the counter or in the fridge, rotting bananas are pretty gross to look at. But they are a staple in my Mom's house because they serve an important purpose: Mom's banana bread. I've heard different theories about which ripe stage of the banana works the best for banana bread and I've used bananas at all different stages of ripe. I've found that the only time to use bananas for banana bread is when they are entirely ripe (completely brown and mushy) just like my Mom has always told me when I turned my nose up at them as a kid. The rotting bananas in the fridge that grossed me out as a kid are now a prized possession in my house.

So prized in fact, that after the first few times of my husband throwing out my perfectly ripe bananas (and my subsequent hissy fits), I've decided to let them ripen about 80% on the counter or in the fridge and then toss them in a freezer bag and freeze them until they are perfectly ripe and ready to use. Yes, you can freeze ripe bananas! It's not something my Mom does, but a trick I've picked up along the way and I've found that the frozen bananas will last up to about 6 months in the freezer. When you're ready to make banana bread, let the frozen bananas thaw for a couple of hours at room temperature and you'll be all set to bake.

Whether I smear it with peanut butter or cream cheese, or eat it naked (the bread, not me!), my Mom's banana bread recipe is the hands-down best recipe I've come across yet. My Mom's recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter but I use 1/2 cup applesauce (a 3.9 oz individual serving cup) and 1/4 cup butter, just to lighten up the recipe a bit. Normally, though, if you sub applesauce for the butter or oil in a recipe, it is a 1:1 ratio. For this recipe, I add a little extra applesauce to make sure the bread stays moist, which always works great. Cinnamon isn't in my Mom's recipe either but I figured that a little cinnamon never hurt anyone - it adds a great underlying flavor and smells wonderful while baking.

Banana Bread
1 egg
1 cup sugar
3 small or 2 large bananas, very ripe, mashed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat egg. Add sugar, butter, applesauce, and bananas - beat on medium until well-blended. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon then slowly add to the banana mixture. Mix on low until well-blended but be sure not to over beat.

Grease and flour (I use Pam for Baking spray) a 9"x5" loaf pan and pour mixture in. Bake for 50-60 minutes. The top of the bread will be dark brown (it won't be burned, don't worry) and will bounce back to the touch (check for doneness with a sharp knife as well).

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 50-60 minutes
Serves: 8-12

Learn more about this author, Tara Liptak.
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