Thawed over-ripe bananas are easier to bake with than ripe ones, and they give the muffin or bread a nice dark colour.
Are the bananas in your kitchen beginning to turn black? Are the kids complaining the bananas you bought last week are too soft to eat? Don't have time to bake banana muffins or banana bread? You don't have to throw those softies in the trash. Instead, throw them in the freezer, and when you're ready to bake, you'll have the bananas you need.
Instructions
Freezing the Bananas
1. Start with bananas that are ripe. Let them sit at room temperature for a few days. They will begin to show dark streaks and spots. This is a good sign. When they progress to the brown stage, it's time to freeze them.
2. Place brown bananas, in their skin, into the freezer. You can also place a few bananas in a plastic bag and place the bag in the freezer, but no wrapping is necessary to preserve the banana. The skin is natural protection burn.
3. You can freeze bananas indefinitely.
Banana Bread
4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Ensure that the baking rack is in the middle position. At the same time, take the bananas out of the freezer and let them sit on the counter in a bowl.
5. Once bananas have thawed, cut off one end of each and squirt the banana into a glass measuring cup or bowl. If you need help to thaw the bananas, place them in a container on top of the oven.
6. Mix all ingredients, including bananas, in a big bowl. Do not over-mix; just ensure the batter is wet. Don't worry about banana lumps; there shouldn't be many.
7. Grease the bottom of a loaf pan, or 12 muffin cups. Pour the batter into the pan or muffin cups, filling to about two-thirds full.
8. Banana bread is one way to use up over-ripe bananas.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the bread comes out dry. Cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Enjoy.
Banana Cake
9. Preheat oven to 275 degrees; ensure the oven rack is in the middle position.
10. Thaw three or four frozen bananas by removing them from the freezer, placing in a bowl in a warm place in the kitchen. They will thaw within 30 minutes.
11. Mix the bananas with lemon juice in a bowl or measuring cup.
12. In one bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Set aside. In a second bowl, mix butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating addition. Stir in vanilla. Add dry ingredients little by little, alternating with buttermilk and mixing lightly after each addition. Add banana mixture last.
13. Grease and flour a 9-inch by 13-inch pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for one hour, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in to the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.
Smoothies and Milkshakes
14. Place frozen bananas directly into a blender. You can add milk, fruit juice, yogurt, ice, nutmeg, cinnamon or other fruits such as strawberries. Mix on a blend setting.
15. Add ingredients as needed to create the consistency you desire. Pour the smoothie into a glass, serve with a spoon or straw, and enjoy. This concoction is full of nutrients such as potassium and calcium that we all need daily.
16. Make a banana milkshake in the same way, omitting the milk or yogurt and adding vanilla or praline ice cream instead.
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