Pumpkin Banana Bread

Autumn is my favorite time of the year, so it is appropriate, I guess, that I love baking and cooking with garden items that ripen in the fall--pumpkin being a favorite among them. If pumpkin spicing up banana bread sounds good to you, here is a recipe that is sure to satisfy! Happy Autumn! Pumpkin Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Optional:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips or white baking chips

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, mashed bananas, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. If using, fold in the chopped walnuts or chocolate/white chips.
2. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. If the top of the bread is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with aluminum foil during the last 20 minutes of baking.
3. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Serve plain, with a pat of butter, or even toasted.