Banana Bread with Pecans Baked in Jars

My first attempt turned out tasty but the jars were definitely the wrong jars to use as once the bread was baked it would not slide out of the mouth of the blue Mason jars because it was too small.  I love the blue Mason jars but they are not ideal for this recipe.  Anthony ate the bread out of the jar with a spoon.  My second attempt with the small Jelly Jars worked perfectly.  The bread slides out of the jars easily with little or no effort.  I added a ribbon and quick tag to dress them up a bit.

Banana Bread with Pecans Baked in Jars

2/3 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
4 Eggs
2 Cups Mashed Bananas (Approximately 4 Medium-Sized Bananas)
2/3 Cup Water
3 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
½ tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 ½ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground Cloves
2/3 Cup Chopped Pecans
12 Half Pint (8 oz. Jars)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare the jars by greasing the insides of the jars with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar with a mixer until well incorporated.  Beat in the eggs, bananas, and water until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves and pour into the banana mixture a little at a time mixing well with each addition.  Fold in pecans.

Spoon batter into jars filling ½ way full.  Wipe off any spills on jars before baking.  Do not add the lids.

Line the jars on a baking sheet and bake for 35+ minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  I rotated the baking sheet ½ way through cooking time to help ensure even baking of all jars.

Sterilize the lids and rings in boiling water.

Remove the jars from the oven and screw on the lids and rings to the jars while the bread is cooling.  The jars will seal as the bread cools down.  You will hear a light “pop’ when the jar seals itself.  If you don’t, press down on the lid to see if it is firm.  If it doesn’t “give”, it is sealed.  If the bread breaks above the rim of the jar just gently press the top of the bread down with the lid and seal.

Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or eat when cooled.  The jars can also be stored in the freezer for a few months.

Original Recipe Source:  http://www.madefrompinterest.net/banana-bread-jar