Nothing makes your kitchen smell better than banana bread in the oven.

Makes 12 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 25 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 1/4 hours (muffins, mini Bundts), 1 1/2 hours (mini loaves), 2 1/4 hours (large loaf), including c

Quick-Bread Dry Mix (recipe follows)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup nonfat buttermilk (see Tips)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups diced banana
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts (see Tips), plus more for topping if desired
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400°F for muffins, mini loaves and mini Bundts or 375°F for a large loaf. Coat pan(s) (see "Pan Options") with cooking spray.
2. Prepare Quick-Bread Dry Mix, adding nutmeg to it.
3. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add banana, walnuts and chocolate chips. Stir just to combine; do not overmix. Transfer batter to the prepared pan(s). Top with additional walnuts, if desired.
5. Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes for muffins or mini Bundts, 35 minutes for mini loaves, 1 hour 10 minutes for a large loaf. Let cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let muffins and mini Bundts cool for 5 minutes more, mini loaves for 30 minutes, large loaves for 40 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 264 calories; 11 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 41 mg cholesterol; 37 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 3 g fiber; 183 mg sodium.

TIP: Tips: No buttermilk? Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk.

To toast walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, spread nuts onto a baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes. To toast sliced almonds, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Pan Options
Each of these recipes will make:
1 large loaf (9-by-5-inch pan)
3 mini loaves (6-by-3-inch pan, 2-cup capacity)
6 mini Bundt cakes (6-cup mini Bundt pan, scant 1-cup capacity per cake)
12 muffins (standard 12-cup, 2 1/2-inch muffin pan)

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store, individually wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

RELATED RECIPES: Quick-Bread Dry Mix | Strawberry-Rhubarb Bread Pudding | Chocolate Zucchini Bread | | Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins | Spiced Apple Cider Muffins | Blueberry-Maple Muffins

Banana chunks make for an interesting change from the usual banana bread, and the whole-wheat flour adds nutrition without hurting the flavor or texture. I also like that this recipe isn't too sweet.

Anonymous, Chicago, IL

the taste was good but i think i put too much banana and sunk on the bottom. it didn't hold the shape after taking out of the pan. my friends loved it too! i loved the flavor. if you put nuts on top, put aluminum foil over after 10min to avoid burning them.

Yuki, okc, ok

These muffins were delicious especially with only a tiny bit of oil and butter. Will absolutely make again..

Anonymous, Au

I love this recipe! It's so easy, and had become my go-to for when the bananas get a little overripe. I usually make it as muffins, and sprinkle a little large-crystal sugar on the top before baking.

Raedia

Excellent!

Ashley, Charlotte, NC

Boy was I surprised! While I was waiting for it to bake in my 6-mini-bundt cake pan, I was expecting it to be a complete disaster... Here are my surprisingly yummy mistakes/substitutions: -omited the cinnamon -didn't melt the butter -scooped back out the butter while it was mixing "chunkily" and microwaved it -didn't have vanilla extract so I substituted almond extract -added half a mashed banana -only a little choco chips so it doesn't get too chocolatey came out AMAZING. boyfriend here who usually hates my attempts at healthy foods and was skeptical about trying it actually wanted me to make them again.

sophia, Rowland Hts, CA

This recipe works just fine without the buttermilk. I had no lemons or lemon juice to mix with milk as a substitute, so I used 1% milk instead. The first batch I forgot to put the melted butter in - those came out fine too!

Suzanne, RI