Happy Accident Banana Oatmeal Bread
Banana Oatmeal Bread
Funny how things work out in the end. I wasn’t planning on making banana bread, but I did. It all had to do with Chinese New Year. This will all make sense, I promise.
We had delayed celebrating Chinese New Year because a couple of friends were out of the country. Once they came home, my friend Amy and I started planning the menu. You have to understand Amy, to know that the whole dinner theme had to work. You see, it is the Year of the Monkey. She wanted at least one thing to have some monkey reference to it. Amy thought maybe a banana dessert, and I had suggested monkey bread. This was all pretty last minute, so I picked up bananas at the store, just in case.
In the end, I made the monkey bread, but forgot about the bananas. I found them last night, still in the grocery bag, all nice and ripe- so I made the banana oatmeal bread. I didn’t need the bread. I could have frozen the bananas and made it at some later date. It had been a long day and I was really tired. But for some reason I made it anyway.
This morning, I get a call from my brother. He wanted some baked gift for a neighbor who had done something nice for him. Could I help him out? I could, indeed. He seemed pretty impressed when I dropped it off 10 minutes later.
I don’t think there is any deep message here, or special meaning. It’s just that sometimes, things work out. It feels good when it happens.
The bread is actually a really nice recipe. Moist, not too sweet, and a little extra boost of fiber from the oatmeal. It can be a dessert, snack or breakfast. It freezes well, too. So if you have a lot of bananas, make a couple and freeze one for later.
Banana Oatmeal Bread
½ c. butter, softened
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed bananas
1 t. vanilla extract
1½ c. flour
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ c. oats, regular or quick cooking
½ c. chopped nuts, optional
Preheat oven to 350-degrees and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well mixed. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to banana mixture. Beat well and stir in oats and nuts. Place batter in prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool 10 minutes and remove to cooling rack. Makes 1 loaf.
