frozen bananas

Whenever I buy bananas, some are sure to turn brown. Then I would peel them, put them in a bag, and freeze them in hopes of one day making banana bread. I've even seen people who throw them, peel on, straight into the freezer which I would imagine is quite a mess when you thaw them. Often, I leave them in there so long that they are so freezer burned, they're almost unrecognizable so I throw them out.

I had a revelation. Why not mash them BEFORE I put them in the freezer? Then store the mashed bananas in a Freezermate pre-measured for the amount I need? This way, they don't get freezer burned and I don't have to squeeze them out of a plastic bag into a bowl when it's time to bake them. I just let the container sit on my counter to thaw, then dump them upside down into my bowl, and throw my Freezermate in the dishwasher. No waste.

The medium 1 Freezermate, which comes in the Family Set, holds the exact amount that you need in this recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

ENJOY!