Tropical Banana Nut Bread

Your search for the ultimate banana bread ends NOW.

That's a pretty bold statement, huh?

First of all, I'm assuming that you have been searching for the so-called "ultimate", never-fail, can't-stop-eating, wish-I-had-made-more-than-one-loaf, don't-even-think-of-asking-me-to-share-it-with-you banana bread.

Then again, everyone needs a good, reliable banana bread recipe up their sleeve.

Why?  Because.....everyone, at one time or another, ends up with a bunch of overripe bananas in their fruit bowl.  Everyone except my parents, that is.  I think my dad eats about 3 bananas each day.  If my mom wants to make banana bread, she needs to hide a bunch of bananas in that cabinet or else they'll magically disappear before they have time to ripen.

We all know that the best thing to do with fragrant, speckled, ripe bananas is to make banana bread.  Smoothies are a good option, too, but it's hard to bring your co-workers a banana smoothie that you've just made for all of them to share.  Banana bread will make you popular.  A group smoothie most likely will not.

Second, stating that this is THE banana bread recipe to end all banana bread recipe searches among a sea of hundreds of banana bread recipes implies that I am confident that you will love it.  While I can't guarantee a win for your taste buds (you may hate cardamom), I know that mine are already begging me to bake another loaf.

This bread is dense and moist and full of banana-y flavor, thanks to the combination of banana puree and diced ripe banana.  The coconut and macadamia nuts add sweetness and texture, and the combination of spices create an enticing aroma that makes the 70-minute baking time seem like an eternity.

While it's virtually impossible to resist cutting a slice immediately after the bread is baked, I think it tastes best the next day, after the loaf has been wrapped in plastic and allowed a nice long nap on the counter.

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