black bottom banana bars

Ever have too many ripe bananas? If you don’t want to make banana bread, this is another great option, introduced to me by another staff member at our school.

BLACK BOTTOM BANANA BARS

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups mashed bananas
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ cup cocoa

CREAM butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Blend in bananas.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix well.

DIVIDE batter in half. Add cocoa to half. Spread into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and swirl with a knife. BAKE at 350°F for 25 minutes.

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banana bread

I first came to China in 2007 for two weeks to visit a friend. Her internet wasn’t working well at the time and she didn’t have very many minutes on her international calling card. It took me a few days to finally contact my parents and let them know I was okay. Then, when I did actually call, I spent most of the time asking for my mom’s banana bread recipe. See, my friend had overripe bananas and I really wanted to make my favorite banana bread! My mom’s cookbook opens directly to this page. I wonder if there are any other recipes we use in that 40+ year old hardback tome. But the banana bread is my favorite. Ironically, when I moved to China, I unknowingly brought that notebook from 2007, complete with my chicken-scratch about the recipe. I keep the notebook in my kitchen now and continue to open its pages every time I want to make banana bread.

BANANA BREAD (makes 1 loaf)

1 ¾ cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup shortening
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
2 eggs, slightly beaten

HEAT oven to 350°F. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening. Mix mashed banana and slightly beaten egg. Stir into crumbly mixture.

POUR into greased and floured loaf pan (9x5x3).

BAKE 50 minutes to 1 hour (or until toothpick comes out clean).

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