That one lonely, brown, kind of squishy banana on the counter was taunting me, making me feel guilty that I hadn't eaten it, used it up, nothing. I just couldn't toss it in the trash. I really, really hate wasting food. So, I made air fryer banana bread--cute little mini loaves. In about 20 minutes, I had moist, fragrant banana loaves. The recipe makes just enough for dinner and maybe a little for breakfast, too, if you're only feeding two people. Be forewarned. These loaves don't include butter or oil, only a little half and half. The loaves also are light on sugar, so, if you like sweet breads, increase the sugar to 1/2 cup rather than 1/3 cup. We prefer less sweet muffins and breads, so, for us, lightly sweetened is fine. Also feel free to add a few nuts to the batter if you like. Or chocolate chips, or whatever...the little loaves are quite adaptable. I use mini loaf pans that are about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide, but, if you don't have them, divide the batter among ramekins or use a 6-7-inch round pan. You may have to adjust the cooking time--a little less for ramekins and a little more for a round pan--so begin checking the bread a little early.
Air Fryer Banana Bread -- Makes 2 Mini Loaves
1 banana mashed
1 egg
1/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of half and half
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
Preheat the air fryer at 320 degrees for a few minutes. Grease and flour two mini loaf pans (or use cooking spray with flour included). In a mixing bowl, beat together the banana, egg, sugar, half and half, and vanilla. Add the flours, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and stir until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ones. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the pecans. Bake the loaves for about 20 minutes or until a pick inserted in the middle of a loaf comes out clean and the tops of the loaves are golden brown. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then turn them out to cool completely.