
North Dakota has been in the deep freeze this weekend. I’m talking -50 “real feel” temps. During the weekend, my nest just had one little bird in it. He has been my baker in the past, but lately sports, activities, and video games have lessened his baking activities. Since neither one of us was going anywhere, I decided to get my son back in the kitchen. In between purging my bathroom and closet, I made banana bread. Then together, Sam and I made a new chocolate chip cookie recipe (that’s another post). I’ve missed this time with him. He used to climb up on one of the stools or sit on the counter beside me while he measured and dumped ingredients into the mixing bowl. He’s now taller than I am! It was fun to have him by my side again.
Mission accomplished. We baked together again and in the process, got the house feeling warm and cozy on a very cold day. And of course, it smelled amazing! We ended up freezing the cookies to pull out one at a time for a sweet treat. And, we’ve been enjoying the fresh banana bread with our eggs in the morning. So good!
I have a few different banana bread recipes, but this recipe is special. It was my Grandma Heringer’s. She frequently made banana bread to share with family and friends. I have tweaked it just a bit!

Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 c. sugar can also sub with honey
- 1/2 c. butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c. buttermilk or sour cream or yogurt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 3 over-ripe bananas
- 2 c. flour
- 1 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour loaf pan. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Add buttermilk (or sour cream or yogurt – I prefer sour cream). Add bananas, beat for 1-2 minutes. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually mix into batter until combined.
- Bake in prepared bread pan for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan to cool directly on a wire rack. Best served with a healthy slathering of butter.
- Store in a bread bag or sealable container.