Just about the time that my middle child was born in 2004, I spent most of my time looking up recipes to make. The desire to eat was strong in me, being pregnant and pretty hugely pregnant second time around.
I photocopied (oh, 2004…) this recipe from a big breakfast book. In fact, I think it was called “The Big Book of Breakfasts”. Clearly its been used a few times since photocopying it.
It was a recipe that used to be mine. It was one I could convince the most stalwart of believers that sweet breads don’t need to be made with oil to be amazing. (Butter is better). At the beginning, I made it several times a week and then that amount was cut recently to once a week. That development didn’t make middle son too happy. He decided it was up to him to make sure that it was made at least once a week. He has even at this point memorized the recipe. I used to have it memorized and panicked when this recipe went missing for a few weeks. Fortunately, Thomas had all of the ingredients stored in his head.
(this head- the kid decided he needed to put his nose in the flour)
Since there are four boys who eat like men in our house, the recipe is often doubled, if not tripled. It keeps well on the counter and it can also be wrapped in tin foil and stored in the freezer for future use.
The beauty of this recipe is that it is a classic banana bread that you can make for breakfast or give as a gift. We’ve used it as a housewarming gift and a Christmas gift for teachers and all sorts of special events. It even had a staring role in lemonade stands for awhile.
I would say part of the magic of it all is replacing nuts with chocolate chips. And not any chocolate chips. We use the good stuff. Our poison is about a dollar more than the chalky typical chocolate chip. There is something about Guittard chocolate that absolutely transforms the bread – the chocolate melts into the adjoining loaf and makes it all so delicious. (Working on linking the products I love- for now its www.guittard.com)
My kids, but this kid especially, are nostalgic. He saves every card he’s ever been given. He remembers sweet moments and loves looking through photo albums. For a kid so immersed in nostalgia, the banana bread is more satisfying than just being delicious. Just by eating it, he can remember moments long past.
I’d say it was my recipe but now its really his.
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