Jessica Mickelson is always looking on “the joy side of things.” She says: “My mom is the kindest person. Growing up she made every celebration, big or small, such a joyful event.” When Mickelson had a family of her own, she wanted to emulate that.
She is now a busy mom of four children under the age of 12. Mickelson began baking in 2012 and opened her cookie decorating business, Well Hello Cookie, in 2016. The adorable name came from the greeting she and her sister have always met each other with. “I offer anything from day classes for your kids to evening classes for adults to have fun and decorate cookies,” she says. You can find these workshops at Creative Learning Lab and at the Downtown Allentown Market. Sign-ups usually start in August, but make sure you book quickly as they are such a hit and always sell out.
Mickelson also owns Well Hello Magic, a business that can help you plan your Disney trips. “My life is filled with joy and I just want to share that with everyone.”
Here, Mickelson is sharing her recipe for Spiced Banana Bread, an offering she is well known for. “Anytime I come across a recipe that claims to be ‘the best,' I always take that to be a personal challenge to make it even better than that!” she says with a laugh. “That is where this spiced banana bread recipe came from. I worked on it until it was absolutely perfect.” Mickelson's children love banana bread and it is a staple in their household. “My family loves the warm bread, so it's usually gone within 10 minutes of coming out of the oven,” says Mickelson. “My husband enjoys spreading butter on it.” She is also offering recipe variations with delicious mix-ins like pecans and chocolate chips.
SPICED BANANA BREAD
With pecan or chocolate chip adaptations
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
½ cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup very ripe bananas, mashed (3–4 bananas)
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of cloves
Optional add-ins:
½ tsp of banana extract
½ cup of chopped pecans (for a banana nut bread, you can also use walnuts)
½ cup of mini chocolate chips and a handful for on top
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of loaf pan (Mickelson uses softened butter for this, but says you can also use oil).
Mix the sugar and oil in a large bowl or stand mixer.
Add the eggs (always crack them into a separate bowl to ensure no shells mix into the batter), bananas, sour cream and vanilla.
If your bananas are not super ripe or you want more flavor, add banana extract.
Add flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and a dash of cloves. Stir just until dry ingredients are mixed in; do not overmix.
Optional bread choices:
If you want to add chopped pecans or chocolate chips, put them in the mix and stir with a spoon. Mickelson adds a handful of chocolate chips to the top of the chocolate-chip spiced banana bread or places pecan halves on top of the pecan-spiced banana bread.
Pour bread mix into the greased pan (batter typically makes one 9x5 loaf and one small loaf).
Bake at 350 degrees for 50–60 minutes, using a small bread pan. Check the loaf at around 35–40 minutes.
Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it is clean, the bread is done.
Remove from pan and put on a cooling rack for five minutes.
Published as “Beyond the Menu” in the August 2024 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
