Recipe: Almond Banana Bars with Butter-Caraway Icing (1970's)

ALMOND BANANA BARS

1 cup chopped almonds, toasted
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup soya flour, sifted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large)
2 eggs
Butter-Caraway Icing (recipe follows)

Spread almonds in shallow pan and place in 350 degree F oven 10 to 15 minutes or until toasted; remove almonds from pan and cool.

Mix flours, dry milk, sugar, baking powder, salt, ginger and cinnamon in large bowl.

In another bowl or large measuring cup, combine buttermilk, oil bananas and eggs. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture, add almonds and mix. Pour batter into greased and floured, square, 9 by 9 inch cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until it tests done (toothpick comes out clean). Cool. Cut into 18 bars.

Glaze with Buttermilk-Caraway Icing.

BUTTER-CARAWAY ICING

2 Tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Mix buttermilk, caraway seeds and almond extract into powdered sugar.

Makes 18 bars.
Source: Modesto Bee newspaper, July 14, 1976