Banana Split Bread

I recently discovered some overripe bananas I'd thrown in the freezer months ago. The three of us don't love bananas, but when we do eat them, we prefer them to be barely yellow. Trouble likes them fully yellow, but rejects them when spots appear. So into the freezer they go. Obviously, overripe bananas means banana bread. I decided to experiment and see if I could come up with a bread that used the bananas but had other flavors that we prefer more than bananas. I dug around in the fridge and pantry and found strawberries, crushed pineapple, maraschino cherries, and mini chocolate chips. Put them together and you get Banana Split Bread!

I thought I might have invented something unique, but a quick Google search revealed that I am not even close to the first. It's already a thing. Great minds think alike, I guess!

I used my favorite banana bread recipe, but replaced half the banana with crushed pineapple. Then I stirred in chopped strawberries and maraschino cherries. 

I added the fruit mix alternately with flour, baking powder and baking soda to creamed butter and sugar. 

Finally, I stirred in mini chocolate chips. Such a pretty batter!

The bread was delicious. Less banana taste (which is a good thing if, like me, you don't love bananas) and fun mix of flavors in each bite. 

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Banana Split Bread

                          1/2 c. butter, softened                                             5 large strawberries, chopped

                          1 c. sugar                                                                    5 maraschino cherries, chopped

                          1 egg                                                                           2 c. flour

                          1 mashed ripe banana                                             1 tsp. baking powder

                          1/2 c. crushed pineapple                                         1/2 tsp. baking soda

                          3 T. juice from crushed pineapple                          1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in egg. In a separate bowl, mash the banana. Stir in pineapple and juice, strawberries, and cherries. In a third bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture and the fruit mixture alternately to the creamed butter and sugar. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 350°F in a greased 9x5x3" loaf pan for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.