Chai-Spice Banana Pecan Bread (it's delicious!)

You know the dreaded moment of decision where you are staring at the overripe bananas and you know they deserve a last chance consideration to be made into something delicious? I couldn’t bring myself to chuck them. So here’s the edible reincarnation. Chai-Spice Banana Pecan bread it is.

Now the recipe you'll find will give you a couple options within. I do that intentionally so you can rely on what you might have in your pantry, versus having to run to the store. Now is not the time to run to the store y'all. It's QUARANTINE time anyhow, so hunker down and get your banana bread game on strong.

If you don't have cardamom, don't sweat it, just swap it for nutmeg. If you don't have allspice, it's cool, kick it to the curb for cloves instead. It's all going to work. But those flavors drive the CHAI so try to hover in that overall spicy zone!

If you don't have sour cream, I used ricotta cheese in this recipe because I had that in my pantry! Guess what, if you don't have either of those, plain or vanilla yogurt will also work! I'm all about the flexible swap. YES. Ok, so here's the recipe as promised!

Ingredients

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cardamom
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice or ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2-3 bananas
• 1/2 cup sour cream or ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl or electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg or cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, allspice or cloves, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat gently until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream (or ricotta) and vanilla and mix on low speed until just combined. Gently stir in pecans if using.
4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until deep golden brown and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Let rest in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely.

Serve warm but not right out of the oven. It needs to gain it's composure. Let it rest a good twenty to thirty minutes and then it will slice like a dream! I hope you love it! Let me know in the comments below how yours turns out! XO Jill