Banana Bread {So Easy A 9 Year Old Can Do It!}

My nine year old is going through this "Bosch Kick".  Monday night he whipped out some chocolate chip cookies that mirrored my mom's famous ones so much-even she couldn't believe he had made them!  Never mind the fact that I have made that exact recipe multiple times and have never had them turn out that good.  Tuesday I had made a plan NOT to use the Bosch that day (seriously, owning a Bosch has not helped my "healthy eating" idea...) only to walk into the kitchen to find the blasted machine already pulled out and my nine year old exclaimed he was going to try to make some banana bread with the ripe bananas he found in our fruit bowl.  What could I do but let him???

I know there are a ba-zillion banana bread recipes out there, but this is the one we always use because its easy, moist, easy, delicious, easy, and bakes fast!  Oh, and did I mention it is easy???

Banana Bread

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 t. soda

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

3 ripe bananas

(I usually smash these up with a potato masher in a small bowl and find it mixes easier, but it is not necessary.)

2 c. flour

1/2 c. nuts

 (optional-we never add these since most of the fam are not fans.)

Combine shortening, sugar, and eggs and beat well.  Add soda, salt, milk, and vanilla and mix well.  Add bananas, mix well, then add flour and mix well.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out almost clean. 

 (Banana bread is much better, in my opinion, under baked rather than over baked!  My oven cooks very hot, so it only took about 24 minutes for ours to bake.)

Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves.

My nine year old used disposable bread pans and we got 2 small loaves and 1 medium sized loaf out of this one recipe.  (The one he is holding in the picture is the medium one.)