Double Cranberry Banana Bread

Mid-November. Bye weekend. Lisa and I drove down to the Springs to see Doug. We brought pot roast. Marian was in his apartment when we arrived. They had been having coffee. Marian is, by her own admission, slightly more than a friend. Doug, when we asked privately, agreed. They had been on three dates. They had not done anything more elaborate than coffee in the dining room. They were at the age where dates are coffee in the dining room. Doug is happy. Marian is good. Lisa was tearful for an hour at the news.

The pot roast was good. Doug had two helpings. Marian had one. We left at six. We drove home. We ate leftovers Monday. The road bends. Feed your people. The game is won at the table.

Driving home that Sunday evening, I kept thinking about Doug’s counter — empty when we left, no dessert, nothing sweet to wake up to Monday morning. The pot roast did what it needed to do, but next time I’m leaving something behind. This Double Cranberry Banana Bread is what I’d bring: seasonal, easy to slice, the kind of thing a man and his slightly-more-than-a-friend can share over coffee in the dining room without any fuss.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 60 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw if frozen)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with a strip of parchment paper.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Fold together. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir gently until just combined — do not overmix. A few streaks of flour are fine at this stage.
Add the cranberries. Fold in the fresh cranberries and the dried cranberries until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55–65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is deep golden brown.
Cool before slicing. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing so the crumb sets properly.

Nutrition (per serving)

Double Cranberry Banana Bread — Something Sweet to Leave Behind at the Springs