Spiced Rum Banana Bread

You know what’s better than freshly baked banana bread? Freshly baked spiced rum banana bread. That’s right- richly flavored banana bread chock full of walnuts gets an extra kick of flavor with the help of our friend the Captain. It’s perfect for breakfast or a mid afternoon snack and I guarantee the whole family will love it. Don’t worry it’s not boozy enough to get anyone lit at 7:30 AM. It’s got merely teaspoons of rum, but it’s definitely enough to enhance the flavor and natural sweetness of the bananas.

Here’s what you will need:

• 1 1/2 tbsp of spiced rum (I used Captain Morgan’s, but I’m sure others would be good too!)
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 very ripe mashed bananas
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/8 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 tbsp milk

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and spray a standard loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, (I used my a Pampered Chef Batter Bowl) combine the rum, vanilla, egg, milk, and oil. Give it a good whisk to get everything mixed, then with a wooden spoon stir in your mashed bananas. Next add your soda, sugar, flour and walnuts and stir until the batter looks pretty smooth. It will still be a little lumpy because of the walnuts and that’s ok.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for 65-75 minutes, depending on how your oven bakes. I would check it at 65 minutes for doneness. When done, allow to cool for 10 minutes, then flip it onto a cooling rack and let cool completely before covering or storing.