Nutella banana bread

Since I made my own Nutella, I've been looking for new, creative ways to use it -- other than eating it straight from the jar with a new, creative spoon each time.

That, coupled with having three past-their-prime bananas on the kitchen counter, gave rise to this bread.

(And why do overripe bananas always seem to hang out in recipe-perfect groups of three?)

Regular readers know I like my sweet stuff a little on the less sweet side (I'm more of a savory gal, frankly), which is why I'm happy happy HAPPY about this bread. It's a great afternoon snack and, if you don't mind a little chocolate in the morning (Mind? Who am I kidding...), it's a lovely breakfast bread.

Especially toasted and topped with a little schmear of strawberry jam. Yowza.

Additionally, the bread has a subtle gingery zing, which I think is what sets it apart from other banana breads. Lately, I've been throwing a little finely chopped crystallized ginger into many of my baked goods and it hasn't disappointed me yet.

I've become a crystallized ginger evangelist.

(You should have seen me in the bulk foods section of the grocery store when a woman made the mistake of asking me what I used the crystallized ginger for. I was practically jumping up and down with excitement as I told her about stashing it in baked goods.)

I haven't done it yet, but I know this recipe will translate delightfully into muffins or mini loaves -- just bake them for less time.

Need an end-of-year teacher gift? The Ninj recommends a jar of quick-and-easy roasted strawberry-rhubarb jam and a mini loaf of this Nutella banana bread. Booyah.

(Can I get an amen, teachers?)

Nutella Banana Bread with Crystallized Ginger

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Nutella
1/3 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the butter, eggs, bananas, vanilla, sugar and Nutella -- stir it all up until it's well-blended. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir until combined. Fold in the ginger and pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.