My boyfriend in high school had a mom who was a whiz in the kitchen. Simply amazing. She taught me how to make chocolate chip cookies and the art of baking with dark brown sugar. This banana bread is simple, yet delicious. It is moist, and packed with flavor. And it is all thanks to 2 key ingredients in my opinion: dark brown sugar and buttermilk. Though this is not her exact recipe, I think it is close.

Simply Banana Bread

• 1 c. butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 1 1/2 c. dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 large bananas (ripened, darkened….brown spots, on their way out!)
• 1 c. buttermilk

Preheat overn to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together baking soda and flour. In another bowl, mash bananas with fork and add buttermilk. Stir until combined. Alternately add wet and dry ingredients to batter. Mix until combined. (at this point I like to scrape the sides and bottom down and give it one more mix!) Put batter in loaf pans. Yields 2 loaves. Bake for 45-55 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. As always, add your own flare! Nuts, chocolate chips, etc!