Very Southern Banana Bread

This afternoon, my husband told me he wanted a snack.  And I've taken a rather long break from the kitchen, so I decided to make banana bread.  
I looked at quite a few recipes - Paula Deen likes buttermilk, Pioneer Woman prefers sour cream, but I finally decided to adapt one from Smitten Kitchen... largely because it contained bourbon.  And I've never baked with bourbon, but wanted to try it out. 


It was delicious. 


Also, this turned into one of those recipes were I didn't quite have all the ingredients, but I liked my adaptations so much I included them below for you. Generous, right?  But for the original, just go here. 


I got my butter melted and my bananas mashed and then went for the brown sugar - and realized I only had about 1/3 a cup.  And the recipe called for 1 cup.  I had white sugar, but I didn't want to miss the molasses-ey taste of the brown... and then I spotted THIS: 

And I'm so very glad I did. 

So Steen's, plus pecans, plus bourbon.  This was quite a banana bread. 

3-4 very ripe bananas, smashed
1 stick butter, melted

2/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon

2 tablespoons Steen's cane syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cup of flour

1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted (optional, and I guess you could use walnuts, but then it wouldn't be as Southern)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Mash the bananas (with a fork, potato masher, or let your 4 year old improvise) in a large mixing bowl.  Add the melted butter.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except the flour and nuts.  Stir well.  Fold in the flour and nuts, trying not to over stir.  Pour into a buttered (or Baker's Joy-ed, if you're me) 4X8 inch loaf pan or 2 mini loaf mans (or muffin cups, or I'm sure there are other adaptations).  Bake for 45 minutes (if mini-loaf pans) - shorter for muffins, longer for a big loaf pan - until a tester (or toothpick) comes out clean.  

Cool on a rack (but just a little) and serve - possibly with more butter. 

One of the reasons we've been a little busy: 

My sister had a baby!  I'm an aunt (again, but still!!). 

I volunteered to keep all the boys last Saturday: 

Thomas - 1 week

Witt - almost 2

William - just turned 1

and Dixon - 4 1/2.  

It was fun! And exhausting. 

Luckily I had good help :)