Top banana (bread that is)

Had to include a recipe from this particular cookbook because one of my personal recipes – for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – is included in this book!

I started entering the Minnesota State Fair baking competitions in the late 80s. Remember, I do not LOVE baking – but I do LOVE the Minnesota State Fair and it was a way to gain access to the fairgrounds prior to opening day. It was fun driving through the fairgrounds as vendors were setting up – and waiting outside the Creative Activities Building to drop off my handiwork. Sometimes the lines were around the block! Best part was talking to people in line – some had driven several hours to drop off their baked goods. In those early years, I dragged my four kids with me – promising we would go to the Children’s Museum which was then located just a couple miles away.

I’ve won a fair share of ribbons over the years – no blue unfortunately – and hope I will be driving through those gates again this summer! After taking home a third place ribbon for those aforementioned muffins in the Minnesota State Fair’s 1993 Creative Activities competition, I received a letter asking for the recipe to be included in a forthcoming book about Minnesota State Fair competitions. That book, Winning Recipes from Minnesota’s Greatest Cooks (1994,) is where I found today’s recipe, Banana Bread, for which Elaine Irvin won a blue ribbon. Outstanding. Great texture. Moist. Great with a cup of coffee!

Banana Bread

½ cup butter, softened (not melted)

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

1½ cups flour, sifted

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 bananas

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Blend into butter and sugar mixture. Beat in mashed bananas.

Pour mixture into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

Lesson learned: I didn’t let the butter soften sufficiently (the first time) and when I tried to cream butter and sugar using a hand mixer, big pieces of butter remained. I ended up throwing it all out and dragging out my KitchenAid stand mixer and starting over with properly softened (not melted) butter and the right equipment. End result was worth the extra effort. Shortcuts in baking usually compromise the end result!

Let me know if you want my award-winning banana chocolate chip muffin recipe!