Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

This is a really quick and easy recipe. Most of all its healthy, moist and tasty. The recipe has been in the family as long as I can remember. Not really sure where it came from. Kids still ask for it when they're coming home from college on the weekend.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 10-12
• Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 3⁄4 cup brown sugar
• 1  large egg
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  cup whole wheat flour
• 1⁄2 cup unbleached flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1⁄4 cups  mashed bananas (2 large or 3 small)
• 1⁄4 cup buttermilk or 1⁄4 cup yogurt or 1⁄4 cup sour cream
• 1  cup walnuts, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup carob chips or 1⁄2 cup chocolate chips
• 1⁄2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 -2  tablespoon icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together until very light and creamy.
3. Beat in egg.
4. Add vanilla extract and blend, set aside.
5. Into a medium bowl or on a sheet of wax paper sift together whole wheat, unbleached flours and baking soda.
6. In a small bowl blend buttermilk and mashed banana.
7. Add dry ingredients alternately with the banana mixture to the butter mixture.
8. Stirring just enought to combine well.
9. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips, raisins if you like.
10. Turn into a greased and floured 9 x 5 loaf pan or bundt cake pan.
11. Bake for 50-55 minutes on middle rack.
12. Until tooth pick comes out clean.
13. Let cool in pan for 5- 10 minutes.
14. Remove from pan and cool on rack.
15. After it is cooled just a light dusting with icing sugar if you like.