Tasty-not-go-to-Wasty Banana Bread

Banana bread, where to start? Delicious, moist, succulent, a piece of heaven. A few words to describe this recipe for banana bread. You may ask, "What's the difference?" I'll answer, "The streusel, my dear, the streusel." It makes it just absolutely delectable.  This recipe calls for walnuts in the bread, and the topping. I hate nuts, so I never put them in. This recipe comes from my Better Homes and Garden book.

2 c all-purpose flour               2 eggs, beaten 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder        1 1/2 c mashed, ripe banana (about 5 med)

1/2 tsp baking soda                1 C sugar

1/4 tsp salt                               1/2 c cooking oil, or melted butter or margarine

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon     1/4 chopped walnuts *optional

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg          1 recipe streusel nut topping *optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease bottom and sides of your bread pan, set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

In a medium bow combine, eggs, banana, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy) Fold in walnuts. Spoon batter into prepare pan, if desired, sprinkle Streusel-Nut Topping over batter in pans.

Bake for 55-60 minutes for a larger pan, or 40-45 a smaller one, or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, remove from pan. Cool completely on rack. Wrap; store overnight before slicing.

Streusel-Nut Topping: In a small bowl combine 1/4 c brown sugar and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 Tablespoons buter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, Stir in 1/3 c chopped walnuts.

Make sure to start out with brown-ish bananas, it tastes
way better if they are over-ripe.

This is what the streusel topping should look like.

Wonderful. Perfectly browned.