SERVES:
makes one 9 x 5-inch loaf
INGREDIENTS:
1 loosely packed cup light brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium)
1/3 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 chopped walnuts
PROCEDURE:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and also grease and lightly flour one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Add 1 loosely packed cup of light brown sugar to a bowl with 1 stick of room temperature unsalted butter and use a fork to cream that together.
Then add 2 large eggs and fold those in, add 1 cup of mashed ripe banana and 1/3 cup milk and mix that until it's well combined. (see hints below)
Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of salt and mix that together a little bit on top.
Then add 1/2 cup each of chopped walnuts and chopped dates and gently fold everything together until it's just combined.
Transfer that to the prepared loaf pan and place that onto the center rack of the preheated oven.
That'll take just about one hour to bake and it's good idea to carefully spin it halfway around halfway through.
Use a toothpick to check it for doneness and then let it cool down in the pan for 10 minutes or so, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to completely cool down.
HINTS:
Use an electric mixer instead, starting with creaming the butter and sugar. Then adding the eggs and banana. Then slowy mix alternating the milk and the flour, salt and baking soda mixture.