Just the thought of walking into a kitchen and getting blown away by the sweet aroma of delicious delights baking in the oven… heavenly right?!  I usually save the sweet recipes for the holidays, because I rarely bake. In my early days, I was notorious for forgetting something like…baking powder, or sugar.  I was the worst…who forgets SUGAR!  So for the safety of my guest dining in my home, I stuck with what I knew best, cooking main meals with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Over the years I spent some time learning new recipes and the techniques of baking. Of course my head got big and I’m taking on chocolate soufflés like someone lied to me and said I’m the next Martha Stewart. Not happening, but in my magical world of make believe, I just may be.  (Insert eye roll)

For this recipe I’m using my Yiayia Catherine’s timeless banana bread, it’s always so moist and fluffy. I’m adding blueberries because I feel the two fruits pair so nicely, and I added both to my Cheerios this morning. Really. While I was gathering ingredients, my husband asked that I not forget the walnuts. Now I am not a fan of walnuts in cookies, cakes, and breads. Nothing personal against the walnut, I find it’s an unnecessary crunch where it doesn’t belong.  Knowing I was going to need him as my test kitchen, again, I decided to humor his request. Kind of. I incorporated the walnuts in my crumble topping…think of the coffee cake sugar topping….. with walnut dust. Fancy, right?

Walnut sugar crumble:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter

Add walnuts to a food processor and work on high until they become superfine. About 1 minute.

Add the fine walnuts, flour, and sugar to a large mixing bowl then add the cut chilled butter.

Using your hands, work in butter pieces to the dry mix until large clumps form. Set 1 cup of mixture aside. You can freeze the rest in a plastic storage bag.

Blueberry banana bread. Preheat oven to 350

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 over ripe bananas
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup blueberries

Using a standard mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla, and sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs and bananas, then continue to mixing for about two minutes on low speed. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the mixer and continue on low for another 2 minutes or until thing is blended nicely.

Remove the bowl from the mixer, and gently fold in the blueberries using a spatula.

Pour the batter into a greased and flour loaf pan, and top it with 1 cup of the walnut crumbles

Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes.

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Blueberry Banana Bread with Walnut Crumbles

Cook 55 mins

Total 55 mins

Author Catherine Varitek

Yield 1 loaf

Lite and fluffy blueberry- banana bread with sweet walnut crumbles.

Ingredients

Blueberry banana bread

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 extra ripe bananas
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup blueberries

Walnut sugar crumble:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter

Instructions

Walnut Crumbles:

1. Add walnuts to a food processor and work on high until they become superfine. About 1 minute.
2. Add the fine walnuts, flour, and sugar to a large mixing bowl.
3. Cut the chilled butter into pieces.
4. Then using your hands, work in butter pieces to the dry mix until large clumps form. Set 1 cup of mixture aside. 

For the bread:

1. Using a standard mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla, and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add eggs and bananas, then continue to mixing for about two minutes on low speed.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the mixer and continue on low for another 2 minutes or until thing is blended nicely.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and gently fold in the blueberries using a spatula.
5. Pour the batter into a greased and flour loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes.

Cuisine dessert

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