Strawberry Banana Bread

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1 cup fresh strawberries (cut into bite sized pieces)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Position rack in center of oven.  Grease with butter or spray with vegetable spray a loaf pan.

In a small saucepan (or a microwave) melt the butter.  Set aside and allow it to cool for a minute.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and mashed banana. Add the melted butter to the brown sugar mixture and stir to combine.  

In another large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in the berries, making sure they are coated with flour. This helps to prevent the berries from sinking during baking. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix the batter or the bread will end up dense and tough.

Spread the batter evenly into the loaf pan. Place in the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about  55-60 minutes. Let it cool in the pan.

This recipe was printed from Life and Kitchen.