Not for dinner, but a good late-night snack or for breakfast...
This is absolutely the best banana bread I've ever eaten, and I've had a lot of it from a number of sources. It has an unusual ingredient that you wouldn't think would work, but is absolutely magical - coffee! It's one of those things where you don't really taste it, it just changes the character of the thing in a good way.
The walnut business is optional. They're a good flavor, but personally I don't appreciate their texture in a bread product. YMMV. Where they appear in the recipe, I've parenthesized their participation. I've made it both ways, and it's great either way.
Best Banana Bread
Time: approx. 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Ready in: approx. 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes 1 8x4 inch loaf
You will need:
1/4 cup butter, softened (not melted!)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
3 ripe bananas (they should be nearly black)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp Espresso grounds, or even just Folger's French Roast crystals
1 tsp vanilla
(2 cups lightly crushed walnuts)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Directions:
Do this in this order! I'm seriously!
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
DO IT NOW!
2. Lightly grease or spray some PAM in an 8"x10" bread loaf pan
3. In a large-ish bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, espresso and vanilla. It'll end up a thick paste, and dark. Do not be alarmed.
4. At this point, add in the bananas, egg (and 1 3/4 cups of the walnuts). Gradually mix in the flour and baking soda until it's just combined. It'll look much like puke. Fortunately, it'll smell a lot better.
5. Pour into properly prepared baking pan. (Sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup crushed walnuts, and lightly pat them into the batter)
6. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. USE A TIMER! You did preheat the oven, didn't you?
7. When the timer starts bitching, yank the thing out of the oven and dump it out of the pan and onto a cooling rack right away.
8. Give it a 1/2 hour or so to cool just a bit, and slice some off. Put some butter on it, and eat it.
You're welcome.