Chocolate Chip Banana Bread ~ dark chocolate chips give this classic quick bread a delicious dose of decadence!
Pretty soon I’ll be shoving my loaf pans and muffin tins to the back of the cupboard. It’s just the way it goes, my kitchen storage has to shuffle around a little bit to accommodate the needs of the coming season…that salad spinner takes up tons of real estate. I won’t need them for a while, anyway, at least until sometime in late August when I start craving gigantic blackberry muffins and my CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BREAD. That pumpkin bread is one of my most cherished recipes, and the whole family gets so excited when I make it for the first time every fall. But it has a short season, I never make it after the new year. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to switch out the pumpkin for banana, this bread has the same great qualities of the original, but it’s so much more appropriate for March. And the nice thing about a tried and true recipe is there’s no guesswork. Even though I’ve never made this particular version before, I know it will be perfect.
And it is. I threw together the dry ingredients last night, and left everything on the kitchen counter, waiting for me this morning. I preheated the oven while my first cup of coffee sputtered out of the VERISMO. The is the kind of recipe that you can mix from start to finish with nothing more than a fork. This is the classic kind of banana bread your mom or grandma made, only this one has been upgraded with dark chocolate chips.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- a heaping 1/2 cup rough chopped walnuts
- 1 cup chocolate chips
wet ingredients
- 1 cup well mashed banana, about 2 bananas, but be sure to measure with a dry cup measure
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350F
- Whisk the dry ingredients together, making sure to smooth out any lumps from the brown sugar.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients, making sure to beat everything well.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, and mix until everything is well combined. Don't over beat.
- Turn the batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. I like to line the pan with one sheet of parchment paper with overlapping edges so I can easily lift the bread out to cool and slice.
- Bake for about 1 hour, or until it is risen, browned, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
- If you can stand it, let the bread cool a little before cutting into thick slices.
You can’t go wrong with this, it’s got a strong banana flavor, crunch from the walnuts, and a touch of decadence in the form of dark chocolate chips. It’s super moist and keeps and freezes well.
What are you going to do with your extra hour of sunlight today?
This has become my go-to banana bread recipe! I have been making it about every other week for a few months now… I eat it for a fast breakfast before school, and with my parents around we go through it pretty fast.
I actually add a little extra oil to make the bread not dry out as much, since I basically burn the top to ensure that the middle has no mush.
Amazing recipe though – thanks so much!
I like the idea of adding oil, it makes it so moist!
I made this for my mom and dad yesterday afternoon and took it over to them last evening. When I talked to them this morning, they had eaten half the loaf. Dad is 92 and mom 88. I think they liked it… Lol…
That’s hilarious! My dad is 84, I should send him a care package!
I am blessed to have my mom and dad living so close. Only a few blocks away. We live in western New Mexico. I found your site yesterday and will take some time later today to check out more of your recipes. I have enjoyed what I have seen so far. Thanks!
All the way from the United Kingdom. Literally got this in the oven as I type. Cant wait.
Let me know how you like it, and welcome!
I am drooling over here, your chocolate banana bread looks delicious!! 🙂 I printed your recipe, thank you!
check out my post today Hot Fudge Cake!!
Michael
http://michaelswoodcraft.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/hot-fudge-sauce-chocolate-cake-and-ice-cream/ael
In hadn’t thought od using chocolate chips in banana bread before. That’s a great idea!
Sherry
it looks like the best banana bread I have ever seen including my own! I love it with the choc chips!
Those photos are so good I could just reach in and take a slice!
Yes please to banana bread with chocolate chips, what a great go-to loaf!
This looks soooooo good. I can almost taste it. I’m thinking the addition of 1/3 cup of peanut butter or hazelnut butter would send it over the top!
What a great combination! My brother-in-law makes something similar whenever his family visits and my boys love it. Beautiful photos!
Thanks Jeanette! Isn’t it surprising how well chocolate goes with so many things 😉