Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Banana bread is a favorite treat of mine…and I discovered that if you add chocolate chips to the batter it’s even better! I adapted this recipe from one I saw at Lovin’ from the Oven?I made some little changes and added a glaze and more chocolate chips on top. The bread is dense and moist, and there are lots of yummy chocolate chips in there! I like using mini semi-sweet chocolate chips because sometimes regular-size chips sink in the batter while quick bread is baking. The bread did not rise much, but that may have been because I took it out of the oven too early and had to put it back in. At any rate, this banana bread is really yummy?my taste-testers loved the bread, so I think you will too! This recipe makes 1 loaf.

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD (adapted from Lovin’ from the Oven)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon milk or half and half
3 very ripe medium-size bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×5″ loaf pan.

In large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, beating well, then stir in the milk and mashed bananas. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Blend the flour mixture into the banana mixture and stir just enough to evenly combine. Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (if you are using a slightly smaller loaf pan like an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2″ loaf, you’ll need to bake this longer?more like 70-75 minutes). Cool loaf in pan for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cooled, you can top with the glaze…

CREAMY GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons half and half
1/4 to 1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

In small bowl, blend powdered sugar and half and half until smooth and creamy. Spoon over the loaf, then sprinkle the mini semi-sweet chips on top. Let glaze set before serving.

I actually put the glaze on while the loaf was still a little warm and sprinkled the chocolate chips on, too…and that’s why they look a little melty in this photo. If you don’t want to wait for the bread to completely cool, at least let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes, and then put your glaze and chocolate chips on…then cut yourself a slice. It sure tastes good warm!

One other thing?the bread is so moist, dense, and chocolaty that it tastes wonderful even without the glaze, if you prefer it that way!

Filed under: Breakfast/Brunch, Food and Recipes, Quick Breads/Sweet or Savory Tagged: baking, Baking powder, Banana bread, bananas, breakfast, brunch, Butter, Chocolate chip, Everyday, Flour, recipe