Banana Blueberry Almond Bread

I don't really like bananas. If you eat one that's too green, it's starchy and mealy. If you find a ripe one, you have to try ever so hard not to bruise it by gently placing it in your grocery bag with soft items like toilet paper. Then you return home, place it in the fruit bowl, and somehow the next morning it has countless brown spots (which to me means it's inedible).  I can never seem to get the timing right for a perfect banana and therefore end up with a lot of rotten ones. What other foods could we let sit on the counter for weeks, then consume in a tastier version than its usual form?  Anyway, my solution for these countless rotten bananas is no surprise: banana bread. However, this banana bread is a departure from your usual recipe as ground almonds replace some of the flour, which gives this bread a delicate, nutty, sweet flavour (yes, the sprinkle of almonds on top also provides nutty flavour, I know, but those with a discerning palate will know what I am talking about ). 

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup ground almonds

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup frozen blueberries

1 tbsp raw sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan.

In a medium bowl combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

With an electric mixer and a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until well combined, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until well incorporated.  Add almond extract and bananas and mix to combine. 

Gradually add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, and mix until just combined.  By hand, stir in blueberries and mix until well distributed in the batter.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle top with sliced almonds.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes in the pan then remove from the pan and cool completely.