Coconut and Blueberry Banana Bread

I didn't see Pope Francis.  I'm a little sad.  I planned on seeing him, but work got in the way.  I enjoy my job, and I really enjoy having money, but sometimes work can really cramp my style.  Now I'll have to go to Italy to see him.  What a shame.

In other exciting news, I went to Walmart today for the first time in months.  I have heard bad things about how little they pay their employees, but that place is cheap.  Apparently they are cheap for a reason.

According to a website that doesn't appear super reliable, blueberries are the second favorite berry in the United States.  They are native to North America.  They are also high in antioxidants, whatever that means.  

The Blueberry Council says blueberries are packed with vitamin C and manganese.  Manganese helps with bone growth.  Did you know there was a blueberry council?  I did not.

The banana bread recipe came from allrecipes.com.  I have used it before and it always turns out well.  I added blueberries and dried coconut. I used less sugar than directed.  For some unknown reason, I used white instead of brown sugar.

The ingredients are 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, 2 eggs, 3 brown bananas, 1 cup coconut flakes, and 1 cup blueberries.

I added the flour, baking soda, salt, and sweetened coconut flakes into a bowl.

I whisked the dry ingredients together.

In another bowl, I creamed the sugar and butter together.

I added the eggs and mashed bananas into the creamed butter and sugar.

I added the wet ingredients into the flour mixture.  I stirred a little before adding the blueberries and stirring thoroughly.  I used frozen blueberries.

I baked the banana bread in a greased nine by five inch loaf pan.  The bread should bake for 60 to 65 minutes at 350 degrees.  My glass pan always requires more time, so I baked my bread for around 75 minutes.

I let the bread cool a couple of minutes before removing it from the pan and letting it cool completely on a wire rack.

Coconut and blueberries are an unappreciated combination.  They complement each other so well, but they are not associated together as much as peanut butter and chocolate or blueberries and lemon.  It's a shame, because they were meant for each other. 

The bread was delicious.  It was tender and soft.  The coconut flakes were chewy, sweet, and tropical.

The blueberries soften into jammy pools of sweet goodness.

The top crust was brown, caramelized and sweet.  It makes a appetizing breakfast or snack.