A Christmas Loaf
I remember the joy on our faces, especially mine, when my mom would announce that I'm baking banana bread today! I'm not totally (verbally) expressive but my heart is so I felt it skip a beat. I don't know if it's the chocolate chips. The loaf shape. My mom baking. The beautiful, heavenly, delicious waft from the kitchen. Maybe it's all of them, put together.
It would come out of the oven and I would run to the kitchen (I was doing this till last year) and my mom would say, 'Wait a minute, you have to let it cool a bit.' I walked away because it's harder to wait when the baked goodie is just. right. there. I finally walk back and stick a fork in it and aaaahhh, nothing like it.
This Christmas, I decided to make my childhood banana bread with chocolate chips my gift. Because it's delicious (chocolate chips, enough said). It's simple (just enjoy it warm, no frills). It's home (my childhood one and my present one). And that's what this season is all about, isn't it? That's why I thought it was a perfect gift, a Christmas loaf, nourishing for both the sweet tooth and the soul.
Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays so far!
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The recipe is easy. Just bake it with love. And with Ghirardelli chocolate chips, if you can.
Combine 1/2 cup butter (softened) and 1 cup sugar until mixed well. Add 2 eggs, 3 ripe medium-sized bananas (mashed), 1/2 cup milk and mix well. In another bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt and then add in the butter mixture. After mixing, pour in the chocolate chips (as much as you want). Pour the batter evenly into 3 mini-loaf pans or 1 bigger pan. Bake at 350 for about an hour.
And then watch it as it comes to life.