Hawaiian Banana Bread 

1/2 C butter, softened 
1 C sugar 
2 eggs, beaten 
3 medium-large (4 if small), overripe bananas (mashed) 
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour 
1 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt 
1 T Vanilla extract 
3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips or nuts + 1 T all-purpose flour OPTIONAL 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar, approximately two minutes. Add beaten eggs and mashed bananas, beat well. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet mixture. Mix until well combined. Add vanilla and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. *OPTIONAL: Toss chocolate chips or nuts in one tablespoon all-purpose flour and fold into batter. Pour batter into greased loaf pan *NOTE: This recipe makes a lot of batter for one large loaf. If you wish, you can divide it up to create smaller loaves! Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. The bake time for this bread may vary. Mine usually take about 60 minutes. The outer edges of the bread tend to darken before the center of the bread is fully baked. Don’t worry, your bread is NOT burnt. It is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan and enjoy! Store covered at room temperature for three to four days.