About this Recipe

This banana bread recipe doesn't last very long in our kitchen. Once baked and ready to eat, its is nearly impossible to walk by and not grab just a little slice (oh and then another) before breakfast, with tea, after breakfast, afternoon snack, after dinner ... and then just like that, the entire loaf is gone. Banana bread recipes are perfect for using up those ripe bananas taking space on your kitchen shelf? How ripe is too ripe you might wonder? Well what we have found is that the riper the banana, the more banana flavor the final product will be. A nearly brown, and even black banana, so long as it is not super discolored inside will be delicious in a banana bread recipe. When it comes to eating bananas, we all have our personal preference on ripeness and for some they prefer the flavor when the banana is 'just ready' while others like them super ripe.

Grandmother's Tips for Banana Chocolate Chip Bread:

1. Sometimes if I am not in the mood to make banana bread, I will peel my ripe bananas, put them in a ziploc bag and then freeze them. They are easy to defrost and then use in your next banana loaf recipe or other banana dessert recipes or smoothies.

2. A banana loaf takes very little time to prepare so if you need to make something fast, keep this recipe handy.

3. To keep the loaf moist, store in a container with a lid that seals or a ziploc bag.

4. To make a banana ripen faster, put it into a brown bag and close the bag loosely.

5. If you put a green banana into the refrigerator it will not ripen, even when you take them out. The skin will turn black, but the banana will not get ripe.

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Ingredients

(Print)

Makes:One 9x5 inch loaf - 10 slices

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar , lightly packed

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chunky chocolate chips, we used Prana brand organic 70% dark chocolate chocolate chunks

1 egg

3/4 cup milk, we used Almond milk, you can use whatever type you prefer

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

3 bananas, ripe but they do not need to be over ripe - about 1 1/2 cups worth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with a little oil.

3. Measure out the flour into a large mixing bowl. We like using an 8 cup measuring cup.

4. Add the rest of the dry ingredients, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the flour and stir in to combine.

5. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

6. Pour the milk into a 2 cup measuring cup (or a mixing bowl). Break the egg in a separate bowl then add the milk to the egg. Add the oil and stir with a fork to combine.

7. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet to the dry and stir together with a wooden spoon.

8. Peel the bananas and cut into small chunks. Place into a measuring cup or mixing bowl and use an immersion blender to make the bananas creamy smooth.

9. Add the bananas to the batter and use a spatula and wooden spoon to fold and stir in and combine well.

10. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and put into the preheated oven.

11. Baking time will be 55-65 minutes.

12. Set a timer for 55 minutes and do a doneness check with a toothpick at that time. If it comes out clean its done, if not put it back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Tent the loaf with aluminum foil if it is getting brown so that it does not burn.

13. Our loaf took a full 65 minutes to cook. It will depend on your oven and elevation so be sure to keep an eye on the loaf.

14. When ready, remove and place the loaf pan onto a cooling rack.

15. Let it sit 5 minutes then turn it out onto a cooling rack.

16. Use a second rack to flip and invert the loaf back upright.

17. Eat warm of cold. So yummy!

ENJOY!

Return to this Banana Chocolate Chip Bread recipe or check out more recipes at Grandmother's Kitchen

This recipe uses Prana brand which is 70% organic dark chocolate, which is the minimum percent cacao content that we like based on studies of healthy effects of high cacao (over 70%) and human health(1).

You can add nuts like pecans, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts or even add healthy seeds like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.

This easy banana bread recipe comes out soft and moist because of the mashed bananas and also because there is grape seed oil that gives the bread a spongy texture. Dessert recipes that use fruit are healthier and wholesome and also infuse a natural sweetness to baked goods. This means you can easily cut down on the refined sugar and substitute the recipe with either brown sugar or more ripened bananas.

Apart from their taste, one medium banana has about 22% of the daily recommended value for Vitamin B6, 17% daily recommended value for Vitamin C, 12% daily recommended value of potassium, about 3 gram of fiber plus many other micronutrients important for human health.(2) Bananas, dark leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocados, and dark chocolate are good sources of magnesium. Magnesium is indirectly associated with an improved mood. Studies show that people with depression tend to have lower magnesium levels than people without depression.(3)

You could also use this Banana Chocolate Chip Bread recipe to feed a large crowd, and it is ideal for a picnic, potluck, breakfast, brunch or even as a side with a cup of coffee. It’s a pretty versatile recipe, so you can customize the flavors as per your preference. Enjoy!

References: (1) Leyva-Soto A1, Chavez-Santoscoy RA2, Lara-Jacobo LR3, Chavez-Santoscoy AV4, Gonzalez-Cobian LN5. Daily Consumption of Chocolate Rich in Flavonoids Decreases Cellular Genotoxicity and Improves Biochemical Parameters of Lipid and Glucose Metabolism. Molecules. 2018 Sep 1;23(9). pii: E2220. doi: 10.3390/molecules23092220.

(2) Nutrient profile From Health Canada- Banana, raw / (Date modified:2018-02-06) Retrieved from: https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/report-rapport.do

(3) "How eating better can make you happier," Examine.com, published on 19 May 2015, last updated on 22 October 2018, https://examine.com/nutrition/how-eating-better-can-make-you-happier/