Bananas gone bad? Banana bread them!

I have a very dear friend who stores ziplocs full of black bananas in her freezer - she says someday she's going to make banana bread. Well, here's two recipes to use up all those too ripe bananas!

Banana Bread with Coconut (one large loaf)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

about 1 cup mashed bananas (2)

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 an 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or if you've been really good macadamia nuts - go Hawaiian!)

1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted

sprinkling of coconut flakes for top (optional)

Mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir together flour, soda, salt and mix in. Lastly add the nuts and coconut and stir. Grease a loaf pan, pour in batter and top with flakes if using bake at 350 degrees for about 50 min, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Banana Bread with chocolate chips and walnuts (3 mini loaves)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (if you want you can use all white flour but this gives it a nice texture and crunch)

1 teaspoon each of baking soda and powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup walnuts

1 stick butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together dry ingredients in a small bowl. Beat butter and sugar in mixer then beat in eggs, then bananas and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture and then stir in chips and walnuts. Butter and flour 3 mini loaf pans and pour in the batter. Bake at 350 for about 25 min, or until done.