I also LOVE love LOVE love LOVE Fluff. So much so that I have actually received tubs of it as a birthday present on more than on occasion. And I am SO excited about this guest post.
TAKE IT AWAY BECCA:
Hi. My name is Becca. I like to bake (sorry if you don't.) I also like to dance (and I'm really sorry if you don't.) Meghan has graciously allowed me to share a recipe with you, but if we're being completely honest here, I mailed Meghan some baked goods, demanded a guest post in return, and now you're stuck with me. You're welcome.
Meghan and I instantly bonded a little over a year ago through mutual friends. And although I only see her once in awhile, we are practically Internet best friends. Her recipes make me want to eat my computer screen, and one night when I was in Northern Virginia, I was lucky enough to eat two of these to go with the whole pint of chocolate peanut butter ice cream I ate as well.
Don't worry, I'm actively judging myself, too. Those darn cupcakes were like little pieces of heaven in my mouth, and the cupcakes (and Meghan!) deserve a +1 because bananas could be one of my favorite things to bake with. Seriously.
When I go to the store to buy bananas, about 30% of the bananas will go on top of my peanut butter waffles or in smoothies that I make for a quick meal. The other 70% do not have the same fate. They are left to sit on my kitchen counter until I deem them "ready to bake with".
I decided one day that I would take it upon myself to recreate a sandwich that I had as a child growing up. I was that kid in elementary school whose parents' refused to buy them Lunchables unless it was a special occasion. I begged and pleaded with Fred and Zena to buy them because if I didn't show up to school with one for lunch I would be deemed an outcast, and end up with no friends. And look at me now. I'm forcing myself onto food blogs to make invisible Internet friends.
So instead of opening my lunchbox and finding a Lunchable, I would normally find a sandwich of some sort. Ham on a bad day (I don't like ham), and peanut butter on a good day. But, on the best days I would find a fluffernutter sandwich! And everyone knows the ONLY way to have one of these is with a banana, right?! And that is why my friends, the fluffernutter banana bread was born.
In the first batch, the banana overpowered the bread and the marshmallow was an afterthought. I decided then and there I had to bake it again, with some modifications. After some serious deliberation and conversations with myself this past Saturday, I decided to make a second batch. And this one was just right. Since baking with the fluff, I have decided it is the STD of baking. It gets everywhere. It's messy. You find it in places you don't want it to be...I think you get the idea. Maybe you'll want to choose a marshmallow more wisely, ifyoucatchmydrift.
The perfect music to bake to on a rainy afternoon.
Wolf + Lamb Podcast: Slow Hands - Live at Ego (Aug 2011)
Fluffernutter Bread - Yields 1 standard-sized loaf or 3 mini loaves
Inspired by my Childhood
1 stick of butter, softened (Earth Balance is also good, I used this in the second trial)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1.5 cups AP flour (I used a 50/50 combination of AP flour and Whole Wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 very ripe medium-sized bananas, a little less than a cup's worth
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (you can substitute sour cream, but I always have Greek yogurt on hand, and the amount of protein (11g) makes me think this bread could be deemed healthy...)
1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
1/4 cup unsalted, natural, creamy pb (I use TJ's peanut butter, it's less than $2.00 a jar here!)
1 cup marshmallow fluff, or miniature marshmallows - set aside a little for garnish
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar - add two eggs to the mixture.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to your butter mixture, until just combined.
In another bowl, combine the mashed banana, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. Fold in the Peanut butter chips.
Add the banana mixture to the other ingredients, and slowly fold the banana mixture in with the other ingredients.
In a separate pan on the stove, or a microwave safe bowl, melt the peanut butter and marshmallow together.
Grease your pan of choice. Begin the layering process by first adding the batter, and then a generous scoop of peanut butter marshmallow. Using a toothpick, swirl the peanut butter mixture around the batter. Layer more batter on top, and repeat the same process until you are about half-way up the pan. For the top layer, I took some fluff and swirled it on the top, and it gives the bread a nice marshmallow-y, yummy coating.
Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes if you're using mini-pans, or about 55 minutes for the larger pan. If you are unsure if the bread is done baking, see if the edges are dark brown, and stick a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.
Take out of the oven and let the bread rest (in the pan) for 5 minutes, and then transport bread to a wire rack to cool
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