July 5, 2022

I love chocolate.

Sometimes I love bananas, especially since the potassium helps my asthma and leg spasms, as well as my heat tolerance. But mostly I eat them because they keep me healthy and from other medicines.

So when I find ways to eat them other than raw, or ways to use up what I couldn’t eat before it got really ripe, I am happy. (Like the southern banana pudding recipe I shared last month).

This recipe is a household favorite and makes my father-in-law smile like a kid. I’ve tried many recipes over the years and adapted several, so this is my adaptation and merging of a few. I do vary it from a loaf pan, to a small cake pan or even muffins, depending on how much I am making and if any will need frozen (for up to 3 months!) so I can make a big batch when I have time.

CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD

This will make 1 loaf, 1 dozen muffins, or 1 cake pan and 1/2 dozen muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup melted butter (I prefer unsalted, reduce salt by half if you use salted)
• 2-3 large ripe bananas (they should be soft and easily smashed)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (I use light, but dark works as well, just sweeter)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or half if using salted butter)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Ghirardelli sweetened cocoa powder (I find 1lb cans on Amazon and can use for hot chocolate, too)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like to stick with Ghirardelli, if they aren’t too much more expensive; otherwise, I like to get the mini chips)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (325F for muffins)
• spray pan generously with cooking spray
• puree banana (use a hand masher, blender, or mixer), pour into a large mixing bowl
• mix in melted butter to banana puree
• stir in brown sugar and salt
• IN A SEPARATE BOWL, mix dry ingredients
• flour
• whisk in cocoa powder and baking soda
• add dry ingredient mixture to banana mixture slowly until JUST incorporated
• stir in chocolate chips gently
• Pour into baking pan and bake until firm but bounces back when center pressed (toothpick testing won’t work due to the chocolate chips:
• loaf pan: 1 hour at 350F
• muffin tin: 45 minutes at 325F
• cake pan 45 minutes at 325F
• let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then on a rack until completely cool

This can be stored on the counter and eaten within a week, in the fridge for a couple of weeks, or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Our favorite serving method is slightly warm (about 10-15 seconds in the microwave) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with whip cream and chocolate chips sprinkled on, but is good plain as well!

Post and tag pictures when you try this recipe, I’d love to see and hear how it turns out!

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