Almost Jacked-Up Banana Bread

Dearest of friends, I have something delicious for you to try. De-licious. And super easy. What can be better than that?

A while back (which really could mean any span of time) I found a recipe for banana bread on Smitten Kitchen. It was amazing. So amazing that I neglected to make it until again today. You guys, I was just sitting here trying to figure out when I actually made the bread. I think it's been about 9 months. Geez. What can I say? Time has flown by. Don't be like me. Make this bread and then make it again. After making it again today, I think I'm going to declare it my favorite banana bread. Now that's commitment.

Without further ado, here's what you need to know:

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4 to 1 cup light brown sugar (I was somewhere between.)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional- I opted not because I'm not about to buy bourbon just for this recipe.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Up to 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Here are my notes: I didn't use a wooden spoon because who really cares. I didn't use bourbon, so I don't know if that adds flavor, moisture, both, or just general good vibes. I ended up baking for closer to 60 minutes. Oh, and I only had 3 bananas on hand, which worked just fine.

I have a huge crush on nutmeg and cloves, so I think that's why I love this recipe so much. It has this beautiful blend of flavors. Yum city. You guys, I love it so much I felt the need to blog! Considering that I pretty much never blog anymore that has to say something significant about this bread. Make it! You'll thank me. But really you should thank Smitten Kitchen.