Easy Banana Nut Bread

Easy, melt in your mouth banana bread packed full of nuts. Applesauce is substituted for butter and sugar to make for a slightly healthier indulgence. You can use frozen bananas (thaw for 15 mins, squeeze out bananas), or replace yogurt with sour cream.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 10
• Yields: 10 slices

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 2⁄3 cup applesauce
• 2  eggs, beaten
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  pinch ground cloves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup plain yogurt
• 3  bananas, overripe, mashed
• 1  cup walnuts, chopped or 1  cup pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan. Optionally, dust it with cinnamon sugar or just sugar.
3. Cream together butter, sugar and applesauce. Mix in eggs, vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon.
4. Quickly combine flour, soda, and salt, without overstirring.
5. Fold the yogurt, bananas, and nuts into the mixture. Mixture should have the consistency of thick cake batter; add a small amount of flour or milk if required.
6. Pour mixture into greased loaf pan. Optionally sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until tester comes out clean.