That aromatic Banana & Hazelnut loaf bread!

Hey there, foodies!

The weekend is almost here and I am as happy as I can be, as I find myself snuggled inside my woe-be-gone yet still extremely warm blankie. My cozy-socks covered feet are poking out at one end and my hands around a large cup of steaming hot tea, peeking just below my chin, on the other.

I am one of those people who can comfortably enjoy their own company for hours. I am such a night owl and am the happiest when I have an interesting book or a great movie at 1 am at night, when the world sleeps. Even as a teenager, night used to be my favorite time to study and cram right before a big exam. I am not a morning person who can get up at 5 am and get to work immediately, no sir! I would rather study till 3am and happily sleep in late.

Anyway, teleporting to the present….*beep beep boop boop*.….As the weekend approaches each week, I begin collecting and planning snacks for my mid-night binging, mainly on Thursdays & Fridays. I mean, what use is a good movie, if you do not have treats to constantly stuff in your mouth while enjoying it……. am I right or am I right???? Therefore, more often than not, you will find me baking or cooking away, right before Saturday comes knocking!

What’s on for this week, you ask?

Well, with my apple tarts that I posted a couple of days ago and now with this beautiful Banana bread I am presenting to you today, I must say that I have had quite a ‘FRUIT-FUL’ week. (Sorry! he he..)

This is the easiest banana bread recipe that there ever was and yet it will result in the most fragrant, moist and delicious snack for you and your family. Not to forget, bananas and hazelnuts together is such an insanely divine combination. As you open the oven to check on your bread while it is baking, you get your first wonderful waft of bananas right there, which makes it difficult to wait for it to get ready. You can even combine it with a number of other yummy elements like chocolate chips, coconut or berries.

Try it dear friends, have a grrrrrrrrrreat, relaxing weekend ahead of you and….GO BANANAS! xx

Ingredients:

– 2 ripe bananas

– 1.5 cups all purpose flour

– 3/4 cup Caster sugar

– 1/2 cup melted butter

– 2 large eggs

– 1 tsp Baking powder

– A few drops of vanilla extract

– 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon powder

– A pinch of salt

– Some chopped hazelnuts or walnuts

– A few Pumpkin seeds (optional)

Method:

– Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

– In a bowl, combine all your dry ingredients- flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. With a whisk, give it a good mix. Set aside.

– With a fork, mash your ripened bananas very well, until you get a smooth, semi-liquid consistency. Don’t worry if there are some chunks left in it.

– In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.

– Add the mashed bananas, vanilla extract and melted butter. Whisk well until it is all well-combined.

– Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and with a spatula, fold in everything together until the batter is just about well-mixed and lump free. Do not over mix or your bread can come out tough!

– Lastly, throw in your chopped hazelnuts/ walnuts and give the batter a final mix.

– Transfer the batter into a greased Loaf baking tin.

– Sprinkle the top with pumpkin seeds and bake at 180 degrees C for around 40 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted in it comes out clean.

– Cool, slice and enjoy as a delicious snack or a dessert!