Recipe: Peanut Butter Banana Bread

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BREAD

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus additional for the pan)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cool unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces (plus additional for the pan)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large, ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan; set aside.

Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt, if using, in a medium bowl until evenly mixed; set aside.

Beat peanut butter, sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in mashed bananas and vanilla until smooth. Turn off beaters, add prepared flour mixture, and beat at a very low speed until a wet, sticky batter comes together. Spoon into prepared loaf pan, gently getting batter into corners and smoothing top.

Bake until golden brown, until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn bread out of pan and continue cooling on rack until it reaches room temperature.

Wrap loaf in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 4 days. Or freeze wrapped loaf for up to 3 months; unwrap and thaw on a wire rack at room temperature before serving.

Makes 1 loaf
Source: The Ultimate Peanut Butter Book: Savory and Sweet, Breakfast to Dessert, Hundereds of Ways to Use America's Favorite Spread by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough