When I was growing up, my now 84-year-old Mom loved to make banana bread. So, to honor her this Mother’s Day, this is my “take” on her banana bread. Mom’s Old Fashioned Banana Nut Bread is adapted from a 2007 version of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, so technically, this isn’t her exact recipe. But, she only had one cookbook – a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, that is now around 60-years-old and her recipe was from that cookbook.

I have that cookbook now because she gifted me that dogged-eared and stained treasure. In fact, I think my mother has made it her life’s mission to rebuild my cookbook collection because I swear she has given me more than 50 cookbooks over the last 5 years {grin}!

Six years ago, I had a cookbook collection of somewhere between 40 to 50 cookbooks. But, I lost them all in the wildfire in 2007. Since I love to cook, it seems that every month or so, my mom will hand me a new cookbook. In 5 years time, my collection of cookbooks has grown to over 100 (yes, I’ve counted them!) and most of them are from her.

Isn’t that what moms do – kiss their child’s boo-boos and make them feel better? Even though I’m now an adult and way past 40 50 {grin}, she always wants to make me feel better and I’m quite sure this is her way of making me feel better {grin}.

Mom’s really are the best thing since sliced banana nut bread, don’t you agree?

My memory is that she usually made her banana bread without nuts. I asked her why (because she likes nuts) and she said that nuts were expensive and she usually just didn’t buy them! But, more than likely, she made them without nuts because we were children and children can be funny about certain ingredients at certain times in their lives. And, we probably made a fuss so being the mom that she was and wanting to keep peace in our family, her banana bread was nutless to appease her nutty children!

By the way, even though I have her tattered and torn 60+ year-old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, she gifted me the more recent version I have – the 2007 version. And, I can tell you, they are almost completely different books! Some of the recipes in the older version are no longer in the newer version. So, I guard that older version with my life {grin}.

This version of Mom’s Old Fashioned Banana Nut Bread has nuts (obviously), PLUS a nutty streusel topping! So, I’ve made up for all the nuts I missed as a child {grin}. But, if you have picky young children in your home OR if you just don’t like nuts, leave them out! This is still a delicious, old-fashioned comfort food and a great breakfast with a cup of coffee or a nice afternoon treat with a cup of tea.

The old-fashioned doily in the photos belonged to my mother’s mother (my grandmother, Dorothy) and the beautiful dessert plates belonged to my mother’s twin (my aunt, Geri). So, I’m honoring all of them this Mother’s Day with these photos!

This recipe for Mom’s Old Fashioned Banana Nut Bread calls for 4 different bowls: one to mash the bananas, one to make the streusel topping, one to mix the dry ingredients and one to mix the wet ingredients. So, get your children to help – assign them each a different bowl! Great family bonding experience for Mother’s Day, don’t you think?

But, one more little tidbit – this needs to sit overnight before eating. No rushing this recipe {grin}!

Here’s the recipe:

Mom’s Old Fashioned Banana Nut Bread

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

This classic recipe is updated with a delicious streusel nut topping! Enjoy for breakfast with coffee or as an afternoon treat with tea.

Author: Carole from Toot Sweet 4 Two
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 55 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Category: Bread
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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For the Streusel Nut Topping:

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the Banana Nut Bread:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

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Instructions

Make the Streusel Nut Topping:

In small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon with a fork.
Add melted butter, mixing with fork until well-combined.
Add nuts and stir with fork until well-combined; set aside.

Make the Banana Nut Bread:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with canola oil; set aside.
In large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs.
Add mashed bananas, sugar and oil and mix well to combine.
Add banana mixture to well in flour mixture and stir until combined; mixture will be lumpy.
Fold in nuts.
Spoon into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with streusel topping.
Bake 55 to 60 minutes, but check at 40 minutes and if topping is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Remove from pan and wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.
Store overnight before slicing.

Notes

Adapted from 2007 Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

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(other recipes from my mother)