Mary's Kitchen: A Sweet Twist on Banana Bread

I have been sheltering in place for about 4 weeks now. I have not tie-dyed anything or painted any walls in a geometric pattern... yet. However, I have made banana bread a few times. Have you seen the memes going around about baking banana bread? Buzzfeed has a hilarious article full of funny tweets about the quarantine baking trends. I'm doing just fine, I promise! I actually enjoy baking. I even baked before we were ordered to stay at home by the government.

Yesterday, on a snack run to the kitchen while the next episode of To Hot to Handle loaded on Netflix, I noticed I had bananas that were the perfect ripeness for baking. I figured I could make my Sweet Banana Bread recipe. Maybe I'd alter the recipe a bit and make banana muffins instead. Banana Bread can be a bit heavy sometimes and I was in the mood for something a little lighter. So I turned to Google, as one does in times of need. I Googled 'recipe with bananas.' One of the first recipes to pop up was Chocolate Chip Banana Bars by Jessica Loves Butter. It looked quick (15 minutes to prep, 20 minutes in the oven), easy, and delicious. I paused Netflix and got to work. The end result was incredible!

I also learned something interesting while trying to write this post for about three hours. Did you know that during WWII, the British were making carrot cakes? Refinery 29, thank you for this history lesson. I am truly intrigued by this. Will the uptick in baking banana bread make it into the history books someday?

"It was April 2020. Americans had been sheltering in place for about a month now. Small businesses were struggling and turning to delivery service sites to increase sales. Unemployment was at the highest in history.  Gen Y'ers were baking loaves of banana bread every day." 

But really, is there a correlation between baking carrot cake during WWII and banana bread during COVID-19?

Baking is known to help reduce stress. I find baking relaxing. It's therapeutic for me. Plus, I get a delicious snack at the end of this activity. Bananas are found in many households and so are carrots. Maybe we will see an uptick in carrot cake recipes next! I know I am craving some of that delicious cake with smooth cream cheese frosting right about now. Just typing this is making me drool. *Adds carrots, cream cheese, and powdered sugar to Instacart for next grocery delivery.*

All jokes aside, this recipe was so good! I have been cutting off a sliver every time I'm in the kitchen. It's so light and fluffy. You don't even need a fork. It's not too sweet and has the perfect amount of gooey chocolate. If you need a break from the usual banana bread recipe, try this one out. You will love it. Find this delicious recipe on Butter with a Side of Bread. Happy baking!