While shopping for olive oil in the Scarborough Fare Olive Oil & Vinegar Tap Room on Main Street, this Pumpkin Pie Spice infused balsamic vinegar caught my eye. Pumpkin Pie Spice anything would be great, and the cashier told me of how she'd been baking with it, and to her surprise, repeatedly goes bottles rather quickly. I'd been wanting to make a banana bread, so bought a bottle of it, plus a bottle of the Tuscan Blend extra virgin olive oil, and marched straight home to modify my regular recipe for banana bread!

Get ready to make some of the best banana bread ever,
and without white sugar.

With a banana bread, I start with the basic recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, but the 1968 edition. Any edition from the 60s would be fine because it was before the recipes were edited to include fat-free versions with margarine, aspartame or other artificial sweeteners. Our recipe does not have white sugar, but instead uses maple syrup. The consistency of the bread is unaffected, and in fact, with the additional liquid, is deliciously moist and sweet.

A LITTLE BEACON BLOG'S RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup soft butter

5 tablespoons 100% maple syrup

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice balsamic vinegar from Scarborough Fare

1 teaspoon olive oil (Tuscan Blend from Scarborough Fare is a good match)

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (or 1 teaspoon for salt lovers)

1 cup mashed ripe banana (or 1 yellow banana, and 1.5 brown mushy bananas)

plenty of butter for spreading on slices of cooked banana bread

Enjoy watching the thick Pumpkin Pie Spice balsamic vinegar
pour into your teaspoon.

Directions:

Cream together butter and maple syrup.
Add eggs and beat well.
Sift together dry ingredients, then add to creamed mixture alternately with banana, blending well after each addition.
Pour into a well-greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350degrees for 45-50 minutes or until done.
Remove banana bread from pan and cool on rack.
Slice one piece and eat immediately with butter to enjoy the warm butter on the fresh bread.
Wrap or place into plastic bag whatever you don't eat and store in refrigerator for a longer keep. Store at room temperature if you are finishing within the next three days. Only wrap when the bread is completely cool.