Best Banana Bread

A moist and rich banana bread spiked with cinnamon butter

Banana Bread with cinnamon swirl

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup vegetable oil (canola)

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 taspoon baking soda

3 ripe bananas

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tablespoon flour

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-In large mixing bowl combine, sugar, oil and eggs and beat about 2 minutes until smooth. Add peeled ripe bananas and beat an additional 2 minutes. Stir in flour salt, baking soda and vanilla extract until all lumps of flour are well distributed. Stir in nuts if used.

-Oil a 9 X 5-inch bread loaf pan or spray generously with baking spray. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth into top with a spatula.

-In a small saucepan, melt butter, then stir in sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Sprinkle mixture over the top of the batter in the pan and swirl in gently with a knife. Place in preheated oven and back for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and continue baking an additional 35 - 45 minutes or until and knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Be sure no batter comes back on the knife so that batter is completely cooked.

-Allow to sit in pan for 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges of the bread in the pan and turn out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

-Makes one large loaf that makes 12 - 14 slices. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Swirl cinnamon mixture into top of batter in pan.

Let cooked bread cool in pan about 15 minutes.

Slice bread and serve with butter or cream cheese.

The perfect, favorite tea bread with just a bit more to it - the cinnamon swirl!

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**Bananas need to be ripe or overripe for eating, with black patches on the peel and soft and squishy to the touch. If you worry that your bananas are not quite ripe enough, place them in the food processor to break them down a bit first. But a yellow banana with green streaks still on the peel will not break down enough to create a good banana bread and will leave a slightly bitter taste to your bread.