The only thing better than banana bread is chocolate banana bread!
Banana bread is the all-time classic recipe to make use of overripe bananas. Adding cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips, and some Maple-Bacon Granola from The Granola Bar takes it to another level altogether. This recipe works whether you make one large loaf, three mini loaves, or a dozen muffins. It doubles easily if you have tons of brown bananas and even could be cut be cut in half, too, if you have just one lone brown banana hanging around the fruit bowl!
Equipment: dry and wet measuring cups; measuring spoons; mixing bowls; rubber spatula; loaf pan(s) or muffin tin(s); parchment paper or cupcake liners (optional); hand mixer or standing mixer; cooling rack
Ingredients:
2 large overripe bananas, mashed
¾ cup dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted ¼ cup avocado oil 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup miniature chocolate chips 1 cup granola for garnish (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5 loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans with parchment paper. If making muffins, line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease with oil. Set aside.
ILOC tip: you don’t want the batter to stick to the pan, but that doesn’t mean that you have to rub the pan with butter, oil, or baking spray. Use parchment paper instead! If you do wish to grease the pan, use the same fat that is called for in the recipe. It's all about technique, not torture!
2. Mix the banana flesh, brown sugar, butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend.
"You could swap the all-purpose flour with "cup-for-cup" flour to make this gluten-free."
3. Stir in the miniature chocolate chips and mix well.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). Sprinkle with granola, if desired. For a loaf pan: bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. For muffins: bake for thirty minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.
5. Let the chocolate banana bread rest for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before wrapping for storage. Store at room temperature tightly sealed in plastic wrap.
Makes 1 large loaf, 3, small loaves, 12 muffins.
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