Happy March everybody! I can’t believe Spring is just around the corner and I’ll start baking for Saint Patrick’s Day and Easter, time flies!

It has been kinda rainy here in Northern California which is nice because we really need it. It’s super scary to have everything dry during Summertime because of the big fire danger we usually have around the area. The more rain, the better.

Who doesn’t like banana bread? I love it! Just plain or with nuts or with chocolate chips or maybe with some peanut butter.

This is a basic recipe where you can add whatever you want to it. In this case, I added walnuts and chocolate chips.

I hope you enjoy it, and if you like it, leave me a comment!

If you want to see more recipes, don’t forget to visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

Yield one loaf pan

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, peeled

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar (if you want it more sweet, use 1 cup)

1 large or extra large egg room temperature, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, sifted

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or other kind of nuts you prefer)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (mini chocolate chips work better)

Directions

1.- Preheat the oven to 400 F and butter a 4×8  or a 9×5 inch loaf pan . I used a 9×5 one and worked fine!

2.-In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the oil into the mashed bananas, mix.

3.- Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, egg and vanilla extract.

4.- Mix in the flour but  DO NOT overmix the batter or bread will be super dense.

5.- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle some more chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.

Here is the trick: Bake for 30 minutes 400 F . Then, turn down the temperature to 375 F and finish baking for about 20 minutes more.

IMPORTANT: If you see that the top of your bread is getting dark, grab a piece of foil and cover. With this, the bread will continue baking but the top won’t get super dark.

5.- Remove from oven and let it cool before serving. Slice and serve.

Make a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy!!!