Mom's Banana Bread

I think everyone has at least one recipe that they somehow make better than others. For example, mine would be chocolate chip cookies. My mom, who is a fantastic baker, will admit that she can't make decent chocolate chip cookies and always asks me to make them instead. We could use the same recipe and she'll claim that hers don't come out quite as good.

Another example is this banana bread. My mom has been making this same recipe for years, and while I've tried to make it on my own, it never comes out quite as good.

This recipe is very rich and almost cake-like. Banana bread is also a great way to use up over-ripe bananas. We sometimes add chocolate or peanut butter-chocolate chips for a little something extra, but you can leave them out. Click through for the full recipe.

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

2 beaten eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla 

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup milk

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Chips (or any other kind, this ingredient is optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a mixer, cream butter and sugar. Then add in your mashed bananas, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Stir until combined.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Then add this to the banana mixture, alternating with adding the milk (so add a bit of the banana mixture, then some milk, banana mixture, milk, ect. until they are all combined). 

4. Pour about half your mixture into a greased 13x9 inch bread pan. Then add in your chips, if desired. Pour the rest of the batter overtop. This helps keep the chocolate from sinking to the bottom of the pan.

5. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown. To test if it's done, you can always try the toothpick test: stick a toothpick in the center of the bread and pull it out. If it's clean, then your bread is done. If it still has bits of batter stuck to it, then your bread needs to bake longer.

6. Take the bread out and let it cool for 15-20 minutes. If you have trouble getting it out of the pan, run a knife around the edge and it should help loosen it enough for it to pop out. Wrap the bread in plastic wrap to keep it fresh.

Do you have a recipe that you are "known for"? If so, what is it?