Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe - Moist and Delicious!

butter

🥗Healthier: applesauce

💰Cheaper: margarine

Applesauce reduces fat while adding moisture.

chocolate chips

🥗Healthier: dark chocolate chunks

💰Cheaper: chocolate bar

Dark chocolate offers health benefits and can be more affordable.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey adds sweetness with fewer calories.

all-purpose flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: oat flour

Whole wheat flour increases fiber content.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Butter a nine-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the sides.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together softened butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy.

Crack 2 large room temperature eggs into a cup, lightly beat them, and add to the butter mixture; mix on medium speed until combined.

If bananas aren't ripe, place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 300°F for about 30 minutes until blackened. Alternatively, use frozen and thawed ripe bananas.

Peel the ripe bananas and mash them on a plate with a fork until mostly smooth, leaving some texture. Measure out 1 and 3/4 cups of mashed bananas.

Add the mashed bananas and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and set aside.

Sift together 1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a separate bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated; the batter should be lumpy.

Fold in 3/4 cup of chocolate chips, reserving 1/4 cup for topping, using a spatula to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan, spreading it out evenly, and sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, checking in multiple spots to avoid gooey chocolate chips.

Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and lift it out using the parchment paper.

Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens