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How does the saying for the famed chocolate-and-peanut-butter cups go? “There’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s.”

That’s absolutely true (I bite around the edges, then devour the middle part in one shot), and the point can be further driven home in an utterly delicious way through a loaf of Reese’s Peanut Butter Banana Bread.

For one loaf, you’ll need three very ripe bananas, one half cup of peanut butter, one quarter cup of canola or vegetable oil, one egg, one half cup granulated sugar, one quarter cup brown sugar, one and a half cups of all-purpose flour, a half teaspoon of baking soda, a half teaspoon of salt, one and a half teaspoons of baking powder, and an 8-ounce bag of Reese’s mini peanut butter cups.

A little advice on the cups: Don’t pick at them as they sit in the bag, waiting to be folded into the batter. I did - a lot — because I love Reese’s so much. The bread wasn’t as full of the little bites as I would have liked it to be — half of them were already sitting in my belly.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a loaf pan with butter or shortening. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, mash up bananas (I used a fork and a lot of elbow grease). Then stir in peanut butter, oil, egg and both sugars.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Don’t try to make sure this concoction comes out totally smooth. The batter will, and should be, lumpy. Over-stirring it will cause the resulting bread to be crumbly.

Fold in the Reese’s mini cups. You know, however many you have left.

Pour the batter evenly into a loaf pan, then bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick into the center comes out clean.

I checked mine halfway through and the top was browning rapidly while the inside was still mushy, so I turned the heat down to 325 degrees. Apparently, that’s a common problem, so if you find yourself encountering it, turn your own dial down a bit.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges with a knife and flip it out on a cooling rack.

Did I wait for this loaf to actually cool before biting into it? Absolutely not. Did I pay the price? Well, yeah, my tongue is a little burned, but nothing beats the taste of ooey gooey chocolate peanut butter enfolded in banana.

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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_devilish1.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">The hardest thing to do is keep your paws off those Reese’s during pre-baking.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_devilish1.jpgThe hardest thing to do is keep your paws off those Reese’s during pre-baking. Times Leader file photo</div>
<div class="neFile">

<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_devilish4.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">If the top is browning too quickly - as some ovens have a tendency to make happen - turn it down 25 degrees.</div>
</div>
<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_devilish4.jpgIf the top is browning too quickly - as some ovens have a tendency to make happen - turn it down 25 degrees. Times Leader file photo</div>
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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_devilish5.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">The melted Reese’s cups are like little chocolate bombs in a delicious mine field.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_devilish5.jpgThe melted Reese’s cups are like little chocolate bombs in a delicious mine field. Times Leader file photo</div>
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Staff Report

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<strong>REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BREAD</strong>

Courtesy of cookiesandcups.com

Yields: 1 loaf

<strong>INGREDIENTS:</strong>

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup Canola or Vegetable oil

1 egg

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8-ounce bag of Reese’s Mini cups

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan with butter or shortening.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg and sugars.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be lumpy. DO NOT OVER-STIR.

Fold in Reese’s mini cups and spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake for approximately one hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges of the pan with a knife and remove from loaf pan, transferring bread to a cooling rack.

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Test Kitchen: There’s no wrong way to eat Reese’s Peanut Butter Banana Bread