SMS: Mom's Banana Apple Bread

This week's recipe for Sweet Melissa Sundays was chosen by Joy of Hot Oven, Warm Heart. The recipe is Mom's Banana Apple Bread. I was a little skeptical about apples and bananas together so I did what the intro to the recipe said and just made the banana bread part, and added walnuts. While the bread was baking, it smelled so yummy. With the nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon..it reminded me of the holidays!

The recipe was very easy to make and it tasted DELICIOUS!

For the Apples:

2 T unsalted butter

3 T firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp pur vanilla extract

For the banana bread:

2 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (I didn't use freshly ground)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 c granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 c. fresh orange juice (no oranges; used made orange juice)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 c very ripe mashed bananas (2-3)

I added 3/4 c chopped walnuts

1. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 1 1/2 quart loaf pan.

2. Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and brown sugar and heat until bubbling. Add the apples and cinnamon and saute until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitte with the paddle attachment (I used a hand held mixer with regular beaters), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and vanilla.

6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the orange juice mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each flour addition. Stir in the mashed bananas (and walnuts, in my case) until well combined. Then stir in the reserved apples.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool further.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.