It's Now or Never Quick Bread

You might be thinking this is a weird name for a baked good, but it's actually the perfect thing to call it. Why? Well, because most recipes are named after their main ingredients.

How This Recipe Got Its Weird Name

But, the way this recipe works is that you determine the main ingredient based on what you have right now that you need to use up. You can use any type of fruit or nuts or baking chips as the main ingredient in this recipe.

You know how you sometimes go to the grocery store and you buy a pint of blueberries because they were on sale? No? Well, I tend to do this because they are my son Aidyn's favorite fruit.

Well, this week, those same blueberries were still staring at me from the refrigerator at the end of the week, and I hadn't done a darn thing with them. Then, I remembered this recipe . . . .

But spring time is upon us and that is a wonderful time for you to save this recipe too! Before you know it, we'll all be inundated with fresh fruits from roadside stands, farmers' markets, berry picking farms, and if we're lucky, maybe even from our own gardens.

It's hard to resist! We've waited all year for our favorite fruits to come back into season, and this recipe is the perfect thing to make with them when you've got a few pieces of fruit sitting in the crisper drawer in your refrigerator and you're not sure that fruit will make it another few days.

So, that's the story behind the name - it's now or never - get it? Even though Elvis was talking about his love, your fruit also won't wait. :-)

It works with whatever you  happen to have on hand. That's the beauty of the recipe!

It's Now or Never Quick Bread

2 bananas (overripe)
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups of chopped fruit, nuts, or baking chips (2 cups total, can be a mixture - do not include melons)

1. Spray a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mash bananas and mix with melted butter in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla. Mix together.
4. Add baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix together.
5. Add flour and mix.
6. Fold in mixture of chopped fruits, chopped nuts, and baking chips. (This mixture may vary each time you make the recipe.)
7. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
8. Cool for 5 minutes in pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes:

I usually save extra overripe bananas in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag in my freezer. That way, I always have them on hand for baked goods like this.

If the fruits you choose are particularly juicy and the bread doesn't want to hold together, it will still make an excellent "fruit crumble" topping for ice cream.

30 Sweet Quick Breads That You Can Make With This Recipe

So now that you have the basic recipe, you can see where you could make all different kinds of quick breads. The possibilities are endless! Here are some interesting combinations to get you started:

1. Blueberry and pecan
2. Blueberry and apple
3. Blueberry and peach
4. Blueberry and raspberry
5. Strawberry and peach
6. Strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry
7. Blackberry and walnut
8. Raspberry and pecan
9. Peach and almond
10. Apricot and coconut
11. Apricot and walnut
12. Pineapple and walnut
13. Pineapple and strawberry
14. Pineapple and coconut
15. Pineapple and cherry
16. Apple and walnut
17. Apple and raisin
18. Cranberry and orange
19. Cranberry and almond
20. Cherry and almond
21. Pear and walnut
22. Strawberry and chocolate chips
23. Strawberry and peanut butter chips
24. Blueberry and white chocolate chips
25. Raspberry and white chocolate chips
26. Peach and white chocolate chips
27. Pineapple, coconut, and white chocolate chips
28. Apple, raisin, and cinnamon chips
29. Cranberry, orange, and cinnamon chips
30. Cherry, almond, and dark chocolate chips

How to Freeze Quick Bread For Later

If you don't want to eat your quick bread right away, you can freeze it. Make sure to cool it completely, then you can wrap it securely in aluminum foil and label it with the name and date. Freeze it for up to 3 months and thaw completely before serving.

If you like quick breads, you might want to take a peek at these other popular Harris Sisters' recipes:

• Sweet Potato Pecan Bread
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread
• Nutella Banana Swirl Bread
• Cranberry Zucchini Bread

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