Banana bread with chocolate chips and roasted walnuts

This is a treat! If you have bananas that get over ripe... don't throw them out! Send them to me!!! Or, put them in the freezer for up to 6 months and wait for that day when you want some banana bread. (You can do the same with zucchini if you shred it first).

So, you want to make bread, and have some (at least 3) frozen bananas? Thaw the bananas in a mixing bowl. After they thaw, dump out any banana juice from the bowl (sometimes it makes too much liquid). Peel the bananas and smash them well in the bowl. Decide how many batches you want to make. I usually do a double recipe.

One cup of mashed bananas makes one batch and fits well into two 4 by 9 bread pans or twelve muffin cups if you want to do that instead.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cup Flour (all purpose is fine)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (have you switched to aluminum free yet?)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (yeah, I don't measure this part... I know I probably double this)
1 egg (my favorite eggs are from my family's hens, or buy humane labeled if you can find it)
1/4 cup oil (I always use olive oil for baking)
1 cup mashed bananas (previously frozen are sweetest)
3/4 cup sugar (I actually use 1/2 cup, especially if I use frozen bananas)
Juice of one lemon, or about 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter (real butter works best, not margarine, sorry ma)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but you loose that roasty flavor)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, but not really cause it's chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add the chopped walnuts to an 8 x 8 pan and flatten them to a single layer, place them in the oven until they start to brown (about 15 to 20 minutes). Remove them and put the butter on to coat the nuts well.

In a small mixing bowl (bigger if you do a double batch) combine the mashed bananas, egg, oil, sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.

In a larger mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon (want some nutmeg, add that too).

Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. Add the wet ingredients and blend just until it's combined. Add the toasty nuts and chocolate chips til combined. You should be able to stand a spoon up in the batter easily.

Spoon batter into two buttered bread pans (If you don't have stoneware pans, and you like to bake bread, definitely put them on your list! I don't make them for sale yet, but I will. I made the ones you see in the photo). Or you can make muffins if you like.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, testing with a toothpick (or wooden skewer like I do) every 5 minutes. Bread is done when the stick comes out clean (assuming you don't stab a chocolate chip...) In the case of muffins, start testing at about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!!!