today's weather was beautiful. it was chilly and sunny and perfect running weather. which is what i did, i ran. i have decided to run a 10k (for you experienced runners...don't judge i'm not a long distance runner or huge lover of running) and a co-worker made me a training schedule for the next two and a half months. it'll be weird to go from: spin classes, hot yoga, and kick box to running, regular yoga, and weight training. i'm excited though!
today is the second day of the 11th week of this new year...which means this is week 11 of baking something new every week. i love having a new treat to look forward to every week. i can't express how much i love being in the kitchen and baking stuff.
this week i decided to make cranberry oat banana bread. how delicious does that sound? ah, i just love baking! i know you are so rolling your eyes at your computer screen right now. i bet i sound super cheesy in every single post, but i seriously get so excited when i even think about baking something new. i'm a total weirdo. i get it. back to the cranberry oat banana bread...
i seem to always be missing at least one ingredient and don't realize it until i need it. this time it was the bananas. we just stocked up on bananas, but they aren't ripe yet. what did i do? drove to the store in the middle of baking to go get the stinkin' bananas. ripe bananas. whatever, it was so worth it.
i dare you to make this recipe and not get excited about baking it. let me know how that goes. i bet you will take back those eye rolling glares. guys, this baby smells so good when baking. right before opening the oven and taking it out i just took all the scents in and was in heaven. man, i am so over dramatic when it comes to baking.
:: this is such delicious bread, but next time i will definitely add less cranberries
and maybe even not use cranberries and use chocolate chips instead. i love banana with chocolate!
cranberry oat banana bread:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting pan
1/4 cup rolled oats, plus 1 handful for topping 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated white sugar 1 cup smashed ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 bananas) 1 1/2 cup cranberries 1. pre-heat oven to 325˚F. lightly grease a 9x5-inch pan and dust with a tablespoon of flour. 2. in a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 3. in a measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk. to the buttermilk, add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract and mix until combined. 4. in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs, light brown sugar and white sugar together until thick and pale, approximately 3-5 minutes. mix in smashed banana and buttermilk mixture. in two batches, add flour mixture, mixing until just combined, being sure not to overmix. 5. fold in cranberries and transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. top with a handful of rolled oats. 6. bake quick bread for 1 hour, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (it took my bread about 1 hr and 15 minutes). invert bread onto a rack to cool. cranberry oatmeal banana bread will be moist up to 3-4 days. wrap tightly in plastic wrap to preserve its freshness. enjoy! xo, e |