Sour Cream Banana Bread (with Banana Muffins option)

Hey all!  I still exist.  Life has taken a few turns and I'm rerouting myself back to some self improvement.  For one, I'm currently 7 months pregnant and constantly hungry... and I crave everything.  I'm a firm believer that it's perfectly okay and healthy to have a yummy treat, in moderation, of course.

Do you have a food that instantly reminds you of some warm, happy place?  Is there a food that even just the smell of it relaxes you?  What do your "comfort foods" remind you of?  For me, banana bread is one of those major comfort foods.  My mom made banana bread all the time while I was growing up!  It can be majorly screwed up though!  Nobody wants to bite into some fresh, warm banana bread to find dry, flavorless bread...

For the best banana bread you need:

1. Good balanced recipe that includes enough bananas! Less bananas = less banana flavor
2. Overripe bananas... essential!  You want them to be speckled and browning.
3. Short cook time: not under-cooked (nobody wants food poisoning), but cooked until just done.
4. "Special" ingredients to make your banana bread stand out from all the rest... like sour cream!

Let's get to it!

Sour Cream Banana Bread 

(with Banana Muffins options)

Time Cook: 1 hour 

Yield: 1 loaf or about 12 regular muffins

Ingredients:  1/2 cup butter

                     1 cup sugar

                     2 eggs

                     1 teaspoon vanilla

                     1 1/2 cups flour

                     1 teaspoon baking soda

                     1/2 teaspoon salt

                     3 overripe bananas, mashed

                     1/2 chopped nuts (I omit the nuts, but this is entirely personal preference)

                     1/2 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cream butter and sugar for 2 minutes
3. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well blended
4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt to mixture, blend until just combined
5. Add mashed bananas, nuts, and sour cream
6. Mix well until just comfined
7. Pour into greased large loaf pan or greased muffin tin, about 3/4 full
8. Bake at 350F for 1 hour for loaf pan or  350F for about 12-18 minutes for muffins - Check  halfway through cooking as cooking times vary based on oven and pan material  

Hint!  Darker pans make foods cook quicker!

DO NOT OVERCOOK! This is done cooking when a toothpick inserted in the center, pulls out with some crumbs, but not gooey. 

                      You know what's really cook about quick breads (baked goods that don't require yeast)?!  They can be very forgiving and it's also fun to experiment with different ingredients!  To this recipe, you can try substituting ingredients to make it healthier, such as low-fat sour cream, Stevia, unsweetened applesauce, or different varieties of flours.  Want to stick to what you know and love?  Chocolate chips mixed into the batter or a cinnamon sugar topping would be divine!

What's your go-to comfort food?  What variations have you tried with this recipe?

Let me know in the comments!