Heavenly Spiced Banana Bread: A Hug in Every Slice

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray and dust with flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, peel and mash the 3 ripe bananas until mostly smooth. You should have about 1 to 1 1/4 cups of mashed banana.

In a separate medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup (113g) softened butter and 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in the 1 large room temperature egg until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stir in the 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract and the mashed bananas. Mix until just combined.

In another small bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet banana mixture. Gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. If using, fold in the 1/2 cup chopped walnuts/pecans or 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.

Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Then, carefully invert onto the wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.