Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Yummy!

 This recipe just couldn't get any easier, and who knew adding chocolate chips to Banana Bread was going to be so yummy!  Well, I should have known that...adding chocolate to just about anything makes me happy!  

The basic recipe is just a traditional banana bread, but it takes on a new life once the chocolate is added.  I must say, though, I do love banana bread in any shape or form.

 

The key to good banana bread is to not over-mix the batter. Once the liquid ingredients are added to the dry, mix the batter by hand just until the flour is moistened... for no more than about ten seconds. Too much mixing can cause the final product to be dry, tough or misshapen.

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream*

3/4 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk or dark...your choice)

2 medium bananas, mashed

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350, grease 9x5 loaf pan.

 

Mix together melted butter and sugar, then add in eggs and vanilla.

 

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; then add to butter mixture; stir until just blended.

 

Gently stir in sour cream, bananas and chocolate chips, then spread into loaf pan.

 

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until baked through.

 

Cool on wire rack in pan for a few minutes, then remove from pan to finish cooling completely before cutting. (I think the waiting is the hardest part of this recipe. LOL!)

 

And that's it!  Easy-peasy!

 

*No sour cream?  No problem!  Pour 1 Tbsp. of vinegar (white) into a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup.  Stir and use as replacement for the sour cream.  That's exactly what I did today, and it made no difference.


A Tip from Grammy:

-Use brown bananas...that's where all the flavor comes from and will mix better with the batter to make a moist and tender bread.

-Don't use a dark loaf pan! This will retain more heat and lead to a burnt bread.

-Don't overmix the batter. Combine the dry ingredients first, then add the wet by hand and stir only until all ingredients are combined.

-Keep an eye out while it's in the oven. If the top looks like it's getting too browned before the bread is fully baked, cover it with a tent made from aluminum foil.

Be encouraged!

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and to discover the prisoner was you.”  -Corrie ten Boom